Automated tissue image analysis

A stained histologic specimen, sandwiched between a glass microscope slide and coverslip, mounted on the stage of a light microscope.
Microscopic view of a histologic specimen of human lung tissue stained with hematoxylin and eosin.

Automated tissue image analysis or histopathology image analysis (HIMA) is a process by which computer-controlled automatic test equipment is used to evaluate tissue samples, using computations to derive quantitative measurements from an image to avoid subjective errors.

In a typical application, automated tissue image analysis could be used to measure the aggregate activity of cancer cells in a biopsy of a cancerous tumor taken from a patient. In breast cancer patients, for example, automated tissue image analysis may be used to test for high levels of proteins known to be present in more aggressive forms of breast cancers.