laocoon

laocoon performs automated high-throughput counting and cell-cycle phase quantification of fluorescently-labelled microscopy images, including Fucci-labelled cells and DAPI channel detection.

Key Features:

• Automation: Fully automatic detection and counting of cells without manual region-of-interest specification.
• High-throughput: Scales to process large numbers of microscopy images for population-level quantification.
• Accuracy: Engineered to deliver reliable cell counts and reduce common inaccuracies in automated counting.
• Cell Cycle Analysis: Determines the proportion of cells within each cell-cycle phase relative to all cells detected in the DAPI channel, applicable to Fucci-labelled cells.
• Computer Vision Integration: Integrates multiple computer vision techniques and algorithms to perform detection and quantification.

Scientific Applications:

• Fucci cell quantification: Quantifies and analyzes fluorescently stained Fucci cells where fluorescent proteins report cell-cycle stages.
• Cell proliferation and growth studies: Supports research into cell proliferation, growth patterns, and cell-cycle dynamics using phase-resolved counts.
• Clinical and quantitative cell counting: Provides precise cell quantification useful for applications requiring accurate population and phase proportions.

Methodology:

Synthesizes existing computer vision methods and algorithms to automate detection and counting of fluorescently-labelled cells in microscopy images.