Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia
Advertisement

Novel AI Toolkit Analyzes Infectious Pathogens in Few Minutes

by Mohamed Fathima S on February 14, 2019 at 1:18 PM
Novel AI Toolkit Analyzes Infectious Pathogens in Few Minutes

With the precision of a trained biologist, a new AI-driven platform called HRMAn ('Herman'), which stands for Host Response to Microbe Analysis, can analyze how pathogens infect our cells. The machine learning is open-sourced, easy to use and can be tailored for various pathogens including Salmonella enterica.

Pioneered by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and UCL, HRMAn uses deep neural networks to analyse complex patterns in images of pathogen and human ('host') cell interactions, pulling out the same detailed characteristics that scientists do by-hand. The research is published in the open access journal eLife, which includes a link to download the platform and access tutorial videos.

Advertisement


"What used to be a manual, time-consuming task for biologists now takes us a matter of minutes on a computer, enabling us to learn more about infectious pathogens and how our bodies respond to them, more quickly and more precisely," says Eva Frickel, Group Leader at the Crick, who led the project. "HRMAn can actually see host-pathogen interactions like a biologist, but unlike us, it doesn't get tired and need to sleep!"

To demonstrate the power of HRMAn - which runs on the KNIME platform - the team used it to analyze the body's response to Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that replicates in cats and is thought to be carried by more than a third of the world's population.
Advertisement

Researchers in the Crick's High Throughput Screening facility collected over 30,000 microscope images of five different types of Toxoplasma-infected human cells and loaded them into HRMAn for analysis. HRMAn detected and analysed over 175,000 pathogen-containing cellular compartments, providing detailed information about the number of parasites per cell, the location of the parasites within the cells, and how many cell proteins interacted with the parasites, among other variables.

"Previous attempts at automating host-pathogen image analysis failed to capture this level of detail," says Artur Yakimovich, Research Associate in Jason Mercer's lab at the MRC LMCB at UCL and co-first author of the study. "Using the same sorts of algorithms that run self-driving cars, we've created a platform that boosts the precision of high volume biological data analysis, which has revolutionized what we can do in the lab. AI algorithms come in handy when the platform evaluates the image-based data in a way a trained specialist would. It's also really easy to use, even for scientists with little to no knowledge of coding."

The team also used HRMAn to analyze Salmonella enterica - a bacterial pathogen 16 times smaller than Toxoplasma, demonstrating its versatility for studying different pathogens.

"Our team uses HRMAn to answer specific questions about host-pathogen interactions, but it has far-reaching implications outside the field too," says Daniel Fisch, Crick PhD student and co-first author of the study. "HRMAn can analyze any fluorescence image, making it relevant for lots of different areas of biology, including cancer research."



Source: Eurekalert
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Readings

Latest Medical Gadgets

Sonic Vision Aids Blind Individuals in Deciphering Basic Faces
Blind individuals utilize the specific area in the brain to recognize basic faces, a function vital for sighted face processing.
New Migraine Management Wearable Introduced
Nerivio, the first-of-its-kind product for migraine in India, holds USFDA approval, is drug-free, noninvasive, and exhibits a promising safety profile.
Medical Wearable Tech Hits $100 Billion in 2023
Health-sensing wearables revolutionize healthcare, empowering control. They aid remote patient monitoring, track vital signs like heart rate, glucose, blood pressure.
Ingestible Capsule Detects Sleep Apnea Breathing Issues
The Celero Systems capsule, designed for diagnosing sleep apnea, also holds potential in detecting opioid overdoses among high-risk individuals.
Mini-Wearable Device Captures Body Sounds to Monitor Health
A wearable wireless acoustic device records body's delicate sounds. They are useful for monitoring heart, respiration, and bowel sounds to detect abnormalities.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Novel AI Toolkit Analyzes Infectious Pathogens in Few Minutes Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests