METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHROMOSOME DIGITIZING

• US 3,833,796 A
• Filed: 10/13/1971
• Issued: 09/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John C. Alderman Jr, Robert H. Fetner
• Original Assignee: John C. Alderman Jr, Robert H. Fetner
• Inventors: Fetner, Robert H., Alderman, John C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Malcolm A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dildine, Jr., R. Stephen
• Application Number:
  US05/188,716
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 73/432PS 128/1R,2R 235/151.3 340/146.3R,146.3AC 356/39 178/DIG.22 444/1
• US Class Current: 382/129
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/69 Microscopic objects, e.g. biological cells or cellular parts

Abstract

A chromatizer including an apparatus for and method of effecting the analysis of chromosomes including means for establishing an image of at least one chromosome, means for digitizing the distance each arm of the chromosome is from a preselected reference point, and means for automatically computing a number of quantitative measurements of the chromosome, including the length of each arm and the centromere index. The digitizing means includes means for identifying and recording the location of a plurality of points along each arm of the chromosome relative to the reference point. The establishing means includes means for superimposing the identifying means onto the image of the chromosome. The computing means includes means for displaying the computed quantitative measurements.

Claims

1. A method for the automatic characterization of chromosomes, comprising the steps of:

a. displaying an image of a chromosome;

b. locating a reference point on said chromosome;

c. registering the location of said reference point;

d. advancing an identifying means from the distal end of each of the arms of said chromosome to approximate engagement with said reference point; and

e. computing the effective length of each of said arms.

2. A method as described in claim 1, including the step of superimposing said identifying means onto said image.

3. A method as described in claim 1, including the step of detecting a plurality of points along said arm.

4. A method as described in claim 3, including the step of recording the location of said points relative to said reference point.

5. A method as described in claim 4, including the step of converting said points into coordinate pairs.

6. A method as described in claim 5, including the step of computing the centromere index for said chromosome.

7. A method as described in claim 6, wherein said image includes a plurality of chromosomes of a particular cell.

8. A method as described in claim 7, including the step of computing the arm ratio and the length ratio of said chromosomes.

9. A method as described in claim 8, including the step of plotting said arm ratio versus said length ratio.

10. A method as described in claim 9, including the step of recording said effective length, said arm ratio, said length ratio, and said centromere index.

11. An apparatus for the automatic characterization of chromosomes, comprising in combination:

means for displaying an image of a chromosome;

manual selection means for selective registration with discrete pointS of said image;

means for identifying a plurality of points selected by said manual selection means along the length of each of the arms of said chromosomes relative to a reference point on said chromosome; and

means for computing the effective length of each of said arms from said plurality of points identified with respect to said reference point.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said image is a microscopic image.

13. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said image is a photographic image.

14. An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said reference point is the centromere of said chromosome.