Interactive Tree Plot for Flow Cytometry Data

• US 20100070904A1
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Vanwinkle, Rachel, Smith, Jeremy Alan, Myers, Larry, ZIGON, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,215,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/14 Optical investigation techniques, e.g. flow cytometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/147 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1477 Multiparameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1488 Methods for deciding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/231 Hierarchical techniques, i.e. dividing or merging pattern sets so as to obtain a dendrogram
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/7625 Hierarchical techniques, i.e. dividing or merging patterns to obtain a tree-like representation; Dendograms
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 45/00 ICT specially adapted for bioinformatics-related data visualisation, e.g. displaying of maps or networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products can be used for displaying and analyzing data. A method operates by receiving and displaying flow cytometry data in a tree plot, which represents multiple variations of classified flow cytometry data within an interface of computer that includes an input device. The interface permits a user to select, using the input device, portions of the tree plot associated with characteristics and sub-sets of the data. In an example, one or more histograms, contour plots, density plots, radar plots, and scatter plots representing the data are displayed within the interface. The interface permits a user to select, using the input device, portions of the histograms, contour plots, density plots, radar plots, and scatter plots, corresponding to characteristics and sub-sets of the data. In an example, updated histograms and plots are displayed in the interface substantially immediately based upon selected characteristics and subsets of the data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an output device configured to display an interface;

a controller configured to generate a tree plot representing binned polychromatic flow cytometry data, wherein the flow cytometry data includes at least classified data, wherein the output device is further configured to display the tree plot within the interface; and

an input device configured to allow selection of a portion of the displayed tree plot.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to generate at least one of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, or a scatter plot;

the output device is further configured to display the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot within the interface; and

the input device is further configured to allow selection of a portion of the least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot displayed by the output device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to display a histogram such that the histogram comprises a first portion representing event counts, wherein the controller is configured to generate an updated histogram based on the input device interacting with a portion of the displayed histogram, wherein the updated histogram comprises a first portion representing percentages of events respective to a total number of events displayed in the updated histogram.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the controller is further configured to generate an updated tree plot;

the updated tree plot comprises a phenotypic tree plot representing a sub-set of binned polychromatic flow cytometry data corresponding to one or more selected portions of the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot; and

the output device is further configured to display the updated tree plot substantially immediately within the interface.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the classified data includes phenotypic classifiers.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the phenotypic classifiers include one or more of cellular size, cellular health, markers, dyes, and mitotic phase.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the controller is configured to generate an updated at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot; and

the updated at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot is based on the input device interacting with a portion of the tree plot.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to generate an updated tree plot substantially immediately based on the input device interacting with a portion of at the least one of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, or a scatter plot.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to generate a phenotypic tree plot as the tree plot, such that the phenotypic tree plot comprises:

a first portion corresponding to a first one of one or more sub-sets associated with a first user-selected characteristic, wherein the first user-selected characteristic is selected via input device interaction with the interface; and

a second portion corresponding to a second one of one or more sub-sets associated with a second user-selected characteristic, wherein the second user-selected characteristic is derived from the first user-selected characteristic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second portion comprises counts of user-selected events within the one or more sub-sets.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second portion comprises counts of occurrences of user-selected markers within the one or more sub-sets.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first portion corresponds to branches of the phenotypic tree plot.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second portion corresponds to leaves of the phenotypic tree plot.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the input device is further configured to allow a user to select the first portion within the phenotypic tree plot to select at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the input device is further configured to allow a user to select the second portion within the phenotypic tree plot to select at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to generate an updated phenotypic tree plot, such that the updated phenotypic tree plot comprises selected at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to generate one or more of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, and a scatter plot on a different portion of the interface than the phenotypic tree plot.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to generate statistical categories corresponding to selected characteristics.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a pointing device, a track ball, a haptic interface device, a computer mouse, a touch pad, a keyboard, a joy stick, a stylus, an infrared remote control device, a laser pointer device, a voice activated control system, rotary dials, an eye-based control device, or a touch screen.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor to generate a tree plot in an interface, the computer program logic comprising:

an output module configured to allow the processor to control an output device configured to display the interface;

a plotting module configured to allow the processor to plot, within the interface of the output device, a tree plot representative of received polychromatic flow cytometry data including classified data with phenotypic classifiers, wherein the tree plot graphically represents multiple variations of the phenotypic classifiers; and

an input module configured to allow the processor to enable selection of a portion of the tree plot associated with one or more sub-sets of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the plotting module is further configured to plot, within the interface of the output device, at least one of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, or a scatter plot representative of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data including classified data with phenotypic classifiers.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the input module is further configured to allow the processor to allow selection of a portion of the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot associated with one or more sub-sets of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the plotting module is further configured to plot:

the tree plot in the interface, wherein the tree plot comprises a phenotypic tree plot that corresponds to the sub-set of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data; and

at least one of the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, the scatter plot, and the histogram based on input device interaction with a portion of the interface.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the plotting module is further configured to plot a phenotypic tree plot as the tree plot, such that the phenotypic tree plot comprises:

a first portion corresponding to a first one of the one or more sub-sets associated with a first user-selected characteristic selected using an input device interacting with the interface; and

a second portion corresponding to a second one of the one or more sub-sets associated with a second user-selected characteristic selected using the input device interacting with the interface.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the plotting module is further configured to plot an updated phenotypic tree plot based on the selecting of the at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

26. A method for generating a tree plot graphically representing multiple variations of phenotypic classifiers, the method comprising:

receiving classified polychromatic flow cytometry data, wherein the received data includes at least phenotypic classifiers;

displaying an interface, wherein the interface is a display of a computer device including an input device;

generating, within the interface of the display, a tree plot representative of the classified polychromatic flow cytometry data; and

permitting a user to select, using the input device, at least a portion of the tree plot, wherein the at least a portion is associated with one or more sub-sets of the classified polychromatic flow cytometry data.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

generating one of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, or a scatter plot representative of the received data; and

permitting a user to select, using the input device, at least a portion of the one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, or the scatter plot, wherein the at least a portion is associated with one or more sub-sets of the received data.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying, in the interface, an updated tree plot, wherein the updated tree plot is based upon selected portions of the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, the scatter plot, and the tree plot.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying, in the interface, at least one of an updated histogram, an updated contour plot, an updated density plot, an updated radar plot, and an updated scatter plot based upon selected portions the tree plot.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the generating further comprises generating a phenotypic tree plot as the tree plot, such that the phenotypic tree plot comprises:

a first portion corresponding to a first one of the one or more sub-sets associated with a first user-selected characteristic selected using the input device interacting with the interface; and

a second portion corresponding to a second one of the one or more sub-sets associated with a second user-selected characteristic selected using the input device interacting with the interface.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the permitting further comprises permitting a user, using the input device, to select gates within the phenotypic tree plot to select at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

generating statistical categories corresponding to the selecting of the at least one of the first and second user-selected characteristics.

33. A computer readable storage medium having computer program code recorded thereon, that when executed by a processor, causes the processor to generate one or more interactive plots that graphically represent multiple variations of phenotypic classifiers for received polychromatic flow cytometry data in an interface by a method comprising:

displaying the interface;

generating, within the interface of a display, at least one of a histogram, a contour plot, a density plot, a radar plot, and a scatter plot representative of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data including classified data with the phenotypic classifiers;

generating a tree plot representative of the received data within the interface of the display;

permitting a user, using an input device, to interact within the interface, with the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, and the scatter plot, wherein the input device is configured to allow selection of a portion of the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, and the scatter plot associated with one or more sub-sets of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data; and

permitting a user, using the input device, to interact within the interface, with the tree plot, wherein the input device is configured to allow selection of a portion of the tree plot associated with one or more sub-sets of the received polychromatic flow cytometry data.

34. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 33, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying, in the interface, an updated tree plot, wherein the updated tree plot is based upon selected portions of the at least one of the histogram, the contour plot, the scatter plot, and the tree plot; and

displaying, in the interface, at least one of the contour plot, the density plot, the radar plot, the scatter plot, and the histogram based on the input device interaction with a portion of the interface.