Advances in Cellular and Molecular Image Analysis
Erik Meijering, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center Rotterdam

Seminar • 12 January 2009 • BM 5.202

Abstract
One of the main challenges of biomedical research in the postgenomic era is the unraveling of the molecular mechanisms of life. This is facilitated by recent advances in microscopic and molecular imaging technologies, which are having an enormous impact on the basic life sciences as well as human health care, by enabling a better understanding of disease mechanisms, the development of new biomarkers for early diagnosis, and preclinical validation of novel treatments in small-animal models as a first step towards clinical implementation. Studies into dynamic phenomena at the cellular and molecular levels generate vast amounts of spatiotemporal image data, potentially containing much more relevant information than can be analyzed by human observers. Hence there is a rapidly growing need for automated quantitative methods for the analysis of time-lapse imaging data, not only to cope with the rising rate at which images are acquired, but also to reach a higher level of sensitivity, accuracy, objectivity, and reproducibility. This presentation gives an overview of our recent advances in this area and the challenges that lie ahead.