Robust adaptive spot segmentation of DNA microarray images

The rapid advancement of DNA chip (microarray) technology has revolutionalized genetic research in bioscience. However, the enormous amount ofdata produced from a microarray image makes automatic computer analysis indispensable. An important first step in analyzing microarray image is the accurate determination ofthe DNA spots in the image. We report here a novel spot segmentation method for DNA microarray images. The algorithm makes use of adaptive thresholding and statistical intensity modeling to: (i) generate the grid structure automatically, where each subregion in the grid contains only one spot, and (ii) to segment the spot, if any, within each subregion. The algorithm is fully automatic, robust, and can aid in the high throughput computer analysis ofmicroarray data. © 2002 Pattern Recognition Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.