Integrating spatial and genetic information via automated image analysis and interactive visualization of tissue data

Informazioni relative al progetto

TissueMaps

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 682810

DOI

10.3030/682810

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 14 Marzo 2016

Data di avvio 1 Aprile 2016

Data di completamento 31 Marzo 2022

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Costo totale

€ 1 738 690,00

Contributo UE

€ 1 738 690,00

Coordinato da

UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - TissueMaps (Integrating spatial and genetic information via automated image analysis and interactive visualization of tissue data)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-10-01 al 2022-03-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The key question of the TissUUmaps project is the how the relationship between single cell gene expression and tissue morphology is involved in health and disease. Digital imaging of tissue samples (digital pathology) and genetic analysis by next generation sequencing are two rapidly emerging fields in pathology. Genetic analysis, and particularly transcriptomics, is rapidly evolving thanks to the impressive development of next generation sequencing technologies, enabling genome-wide single-cell analysis of DNA and RNA in thousands of cells at constantly decreasing costs. However, most of today’s available technologies result in a genetic analysis that is decoupled from the morphological and spatial information of the original tissue sample, while many important questions in tumor- and developmental biology require single cell spatial resolution to understand tissue heterogeneity. Within the TissUUmaps project we develop computational methods that bridge single cell gene expression with tissue morphology by combining spatially resolved high-throughput genomics analysis (in situ RNA sequencing) of tissue sections with digital image analysis of tissue morphology. Going beyond visual assessment of this rich digital data will be a fundamental component for the future development of histopathology, both as a diagnostic tool and as a research field.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

Currently ongoing work in the TissUUmaps project includes (i) development of new robust and efficient decoding of in situ RNA sequencing signals in 2D and 3D, (ii) development of tools for visualization of decoded signals in relation to the underlying tissue, in large scale, (iii) development of tools for combining patterns from multiple molecular detection methods, and (iv) development of deep learning-based approaches to automatically detect and classify cells and local tissue morphology.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

The TissUUmaps project has already contributed to the development of new techniques for signal detection and web-based visualization and annotations of large whole slide images of tissue. Large focus is on relating gene expression in health and disease to tissue morphology, and deep learning approaches.

Mapping of gene expression, each colore representing one pattern, using TissUUmaps and spage2vec.