MICRODISSECTION METHOD AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20120045790A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Stallinga, Sjoerd, Van Dijk, Erik Martinus H.P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,995,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/29
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/04 in the solid state, e.g. by cutting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/06 providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10056 Microscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30024 Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0014 using an image reference approach

Abstract

In a first aspect, a method for use in biology, histology, and pathology, comprises: providing a digital first image (44) of a first slice (12) of an object (10) comprising biological material; generating a digital second image (46) of a second slice (14) of the object; determining a region of interest (50) in the second image on the basis of a region of interest (48) in the first image; determining a region of interest in the second slice on the basis of the region of interest (50) in the second image; and extracting material from the region of interest in the second slice. In another aspect, an information processing system, for use in biology, histology and pathology, comprises: a predefined set of process identifiers (64); a set of data records (68, 70, 72) associated with an object (10) comprising biological material, wherein each of the data records comprises: a slice identifier identifying a slice (12; 14) of the object, and a process identifier selected from the set of process identifiers, the process identifier indicating a process to which the slice is intended to be subjected; a user interface (52, 56, 58, 60) for enabling a user to select a data record (68) from the set of data records.

Claims

1. A method for use in biology, histology, and pathology, comprising:

providing a digital first image (44) of a first slice (12) of an object (10) comprising biological material;

generating a digital second image (46) of a second slice (14) of the object;

determining a region of interest (50) in the second image on the basis of a region of interest (48) in the first image;

determining a region of interest in the second slice on the basis of the region of interest in the second image; and

extracting material from the region of interest in the second slice.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein determining the region of interest (50) in the second image (46) comprises

determining a geometrical transformation which maps positions of features (A, B, C, D) in the first image (44) into positions of similar features (A, B, C, D) in the second image (46);

and

applying the geometrical transformation to the region of interest (48) in the first image.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein determining the region of interest (50) in the second image comprises aligning the first image (44) and the second image (46) such that at least some features (A, B, C) in the first image project onto similar features (A, B, C) in the second image and/or such that a contrast of a superposition of the first image and the second image is maximized.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein determining the region of interest in the second slice (14) and extracting material from it comprises

determining, on the basis of the region of interest (50) in the second image (48), a new position of a cutting tool (36) relative to the second slice (14);

and

moving the cutting tool relative to the second slice (14) to the new position.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein determining the new position comprises consulting a look-up table or evaluating a function, the look-up table or the function relating positions in the second image (46) to positions of the cutting tool (36) relative to the second slice (14), or to information equivalent to positions of the cutting tool relative to the second slice.

6. An apparatus or system (40) for use in biology, histology, and pathology, comprising:

means (38) for providing a digital first image (44) of a first slice (12) of an object (10) comprising biological material;

means (28, 30, 32, 38) for generating a digital second image (46) of a second slice (14) of the object;

means (38) for determining a region of interest (50) in the second image on the basis of a region of interest (48) in the first image;

means (38, 26) for determining a region of interest in the second slice on the basis of the region of interest (50) in the second image; and

means (34, 26) for extracting material from the region of interest in the second slice.

7. The apparatus or system (40) as set forth in claim 6, wherein the means for determining the region of interest in the second slice (14) and for extracting material from it comprise

a device (34) for providing a cutting tool (36) for cutting material out of the second slice;

means (38) for determining, on the basis of the region of interest (50) in the second image (46), a new position of the cutting tool (36) relative to the second slice (14); and

means (18, 26, 38) for moving the cutting tool (36) relative to the second slice (14) to the new position.

8. The apparatus or system (40) as set forth in claim 6, wherein the means for generating the second image (46) comprise a microscope objective (30) and the means for extracting material comprise a laser (34) for generating a laser beam (36), and wherein the apparatus or system is configured for transmitting the laser beam to the second slice via the microscope objective (30).

9. A data carrier (42) carrying instructions for controlling an apparatus or system (40) as set forth in claim 6.

10. An information processing system (62), for use in biology, histology and pathology, configured for

providing a predefined set of process identifiers (64);

providing a set of data records (68, 70, 72) associated with an object (10) comprising biological material, wherein each of the data records comprises;

a slice identifier identifying a slice (12;

14) of the object, and a process identifier selected from the set of process identifiers, the process identifier indicating a process to which the slice is intended to be subjected; and

providing a user interface (52, 56, 58, 60) for enabling a user to select a data record (68) from the set of data records.

11. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 10, wherein the set of process identifiers (64) comprises a process identifier identifying a process selected from the following list of processes related to a slice:

doing nothing with the slice;

archiving the slice;

disposing of the slice;

generating an image of the slice;

containing the slice in a microscope slide or cartridge;

sending the slice to another laboratory;

extracting material from the slice;

freezing the slice;

heating the slice;

sealing the slice;

marking a region of interest on the slice;

staining the slice;

staining the slice by a first staining method;

staining the slice by a second staining method;

defining a colour transformation between two staining methods.

12. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 10, wherein the set of data records (68, 70, 72) indicates, for at least some of the slices (12, 14) indicated by the slice identifiers, an order corresponding to the order in which the at least some slices were arranged before being cut from the object.

13. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 10, wherein the user interface (52, 56, 58, 60) is configured for enabling the user to modify the process identifier in the selected data record (68;

70;

72), by selecting another process identifier from the set of process identifiers (64).

14. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 10, wherein a first data record (68) in the set of data records (68, 70, 72) comprises a first image (44) or a first image identifier, the first image being a digital image of the slice (12) identified by the slice identifier in the first data record.

15. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 14, wherein the first data record (68) comprises information indicating a region of interest (48) in the first image (44), the region of interest (48) having been defined by a user and the information having being recorded for being transferred to a laboratory in order to prepare a second slice (14) of the object (10) for microdissection.

16. The information processing system (62) as set forth in claim 15, wherein the information processing system is configured for determining a region of interest (50) to be cut from the second slice (14), by overlaying the first image (44) and a digital second image (46) of the second slice (14) and projecting the region of interest (48) defined in the first image (44) onto the second image (46).

17. The information processing system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the user interface (52, 56, 58, 60) is configured for enabling the user to add a laboratory identifier selected from a set of laboratory identifiers to the selected data record (68), and to transmit the selected data record or selected components thereof to a laboratory identified by the selected laboratory identifier.

18. The information processing system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the user interface is configured for enabling the pathologist to ask a laboratory to cut two slices (12, 14) from an object (10) comprising biological material and to generate digital images of the two slices.