Iris

Iris performs automated image analysis to quantify microbial colony phenotypes in high-throughput studies that link controlled genetic variance to colony-level traits such as biofilm formation, morphogenesis, envelope biogenesis, sporulation, and reporter activity.

Key Features:

• Automated image quantification: Performs automated quantification of microbial colony features from high-throughput imaging data.
• Orthogonal phenotyping: Measures processes orthogonal to growth, including biofilm formation, colony morphogenesis, envelope biogenesis, sporulation, and reporter activity.
• Sensitive growth measurements: Provides sensitive growth measurements to detect subtle changes in microbial populations.
• Endpoint and kinetic data compatibility: Supports analysis of both endpoint and kinetic imaging data.
• Versatility across microorganisms: Applicable to diverse microorganisms, including bacteria such as Escherichia coli and the fungus Candida albicans.
• Integration with genetic variance: Integrates quantitative readouts with controlled genetic variance for phenotype–genotype analysis.

Scientific Applications:

• Reanalysis of chemical genomics datasets: Has been used to reanalyze chemical genomics datasets in Escherichia coli.
• Screens for colony biofilm and morphogenesis: Employed in proof-of-principle screens across bacterial species and Candida albicans to assay colony biofilm formation and morphogenesis.
• Discovery and validation of genetic pathways: Facilitates identification of new genes and pathways and confirmation of known genetic pathways underlying complex colony phenotypes.
• High-throughput reverse genetics: Supports high-throughput reverse genetics studies to link genotype to phenotype at colony scale.

Methodology:

Applies advanced image processing techniques to systematically quantify phenotypic features from high-throughput imaging data and integrates those quantitative readouts with controlled genetic variance.