Konica Minolta, Inc.

Mika Watanabe

Kohsuke Gonda

Noriaki Ohuchi

Hideki Gouda

Yasushi Nakano

Kensaku Takanashi

Hisatake Okada

Yasuhiro Watanabe

Hideki Hoshino

Shuji Ichitani

Takeshi Isoda

Akinori Tsunomori

Keizou Takano

Masaru Takahashi

Yuichi Ozaki

Naoko Furusawa

Takuji Aimiya

Yasuyuki Motokui

Yuka Yoshihara

Fuminori Okada

Norikazu Masuda

Masakazu Toi

Hiroshi Tada

Minoru Miyashita

Keizu Takano

Hidecki Hoshino

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tissue staining method that makes it possible to observe both information on the morphology of a tissue and information on a biological substance such as an antigen molecule to be detected on a single section and in a single view field. The present invention provides a tissue staining method, including carrying out (A) a HE (hematoxylin-eosin) staining, and (B) a histochemical staining, serially on a single tissue section, wherein the histochemical staining is defined as a histochemical technique for detecting a biological substance to be detected in a tissue in a visible manner by use of a binding reaction between the biological substance to be detected and a probe biological substance capable of binding specifically to the biological substance to be detected.

Tissue staining method

The present invention relates to a test support method which is a means for predicting whether or not pathological complete response (pCR) will be attained when a preoperative chemotherapy with an anticancer drug is performed, the method using a sample (breast cancer tissue section) collected from a breast cancer patient to be subjected to the preoperative chemotherapy. The test support method includes: [1] the step of acquiring a fluorescence image of a breast cancer tissue section, which fluorescence image shows bright spots of fluorescent nanoparticles labeling one or more kinds of breast cancer-related proteins; [2] the step of acquiring at least one index relating to the expression level(s) of the breast cancer-related protein(s) on the basis of the bright spots of the fluorescence image; and [3] the step of acquiring information for predicting pCR by performing an analysis using the above-described at least one index.

Test support method for supporting prediction of pathological complete response (pCR) using fluorescent nanoparticles

An image processing device (A) comprises: an input means for inputting a brightfield image representing cell morphology in a tissue section, and a fluorescence image representing, by fluorescent bright spots, the expression of a specific protein in the same range of the tissue section; a first generation means for generating a cell image obtained by extracting a specific site of a cell from the brightfield image; a second generation means for generating an image obtained by extracting bright spot regions from the fluorescence image, creating a brightness profile for each bright spot region, and generating a fluorescent particle image obtained by extracting the fluorescent particles in the bright spot regions on the basis of the fluorescence profile for one fluorescent particle, which serves as a fluorescence bright spot source; and a calculation means for superimposing the cell image and the fluorescent particle image on one another.

Image processing device, pathological diagnosis support system, storage medium for image processing, and image processing method

There is provided a biological substance quantitation method of quantitating a biological substance in a sample stained with a staining reagent including a fluorescent particle encapsulating a fluorescent substance, based on a fluorescence of the fluorescent substance. The method includes inputting a fluorescent image representing expression of the biological substance in the sample by a fluorescent bright spot; and quantitating an expression amount of the biological substance based on a fluorescence of the fluorescent bright spot. The biological substance is a nucleoprotein expressed at a cell nucleus. The fluorescent particle binds to the biological substance through a primary antibody which is directed against the biological substance as an antigen.

Biological substance quantitation method, pathological diagnosis support system, and recording medium storing computer readable program

The present invention provides a biological substance detection method for specifically detecting a biological substance from a pathological specimen, by which method, when immunostaining using a fluorescent label and staining for morphological observation using a staining agent for morphological observation are simultaneously performed, the results of fluorescence observation and immunostaining can be assessed properly even if the fluorescent label and/or the staining agent is/are deteriorated by irradiation with an excitation light. The biological substance detection method according to the present invention is characterized in that the brightness retention rate of an immunostained part is in a range of 80% to 120% in relation to the brightness retention rate of a part stained for morphological observation when the fluorescent label used for the immunostaining is observed.

Biological substance detection method

The present invention provides a staining method in which the fluorescent staining properties in a fluorescently-immunostained specimen are not reduced even when an oil-based mounting medium is used. The present invention also provides a method of preventing deterioration of a fluorescent label caused by irradiation with excitation light and improving the light resistance in a fluorescently-immunostained specimen obtained by the staining method. The biological substance detection method according to the present invention is a biological substance detection method for specifically detecting a biological substance from a pathological specimen, which includes the steps of: immunostaining the specimen with a fluorescent label; immobilizing the thus stained specimen; and mounting the thus immobilized specimen using a mounting medium including an organic solvent not freely miscible with water. In the biological substance detection method, the above-described mounting medium further includes a discoloration inhibitor.

Method for detecting biological material

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of detecting a specific tissue or cell in a sample tissue section and accurately specifying both the position(s) and amount of a biological substance of interest that is expressed on the specific tissue or cell. The method of quantifying a biological substance in a tissue section according to the present invention comprises: (1) performing bright-field observable immunostaining that specifically stains a first biological substance in the tissue section (first immunostaining); (2) performing immunostaining with a fluorescent substance-containing nanoparticle that specifically stains a second biological substance in the tissue section (second immunostaining); (3) specifying the expression position(s) of the second biological substance in the tissue section by comparing the position of a stained image of the first immunostaining and the position of a stained image of the second immunostaining; and (4) determining the expression amount of the second biological substance by measuring the fluorescence intensity of the stained image of the second immunostaining.

Method for determining quantity of biological material in tissue section

A biological substance quantitation method includes the following. A fluorescent image is input, which represents an expression of a specific biological substance in a sample stained with a fluorescent substance by a florescent bright spot. A quantitative evaluation value of the florescent bright spot is calculated. A standard fluorescent image of a standard sample stained under a same condition as the sample and representing an expression of the biological substance in a standard sample, is input under a same condition as the fluorescent image. A quantitative evaluation value in the standard fluorescent image is calculated under a same condition as the fluorescent image. Based on a correlation between an expression amount of the biological substance in a standard sample measured in advance and the evaluation value in the standard fluorescent image, the evaluation value in the fluorescent image is converted to an expression amount of the biological substance in the sample.

Biological substance quantitation method, pathological diagnosis support system and recording medium storing computer readable program

A biological substance quantitation method includes the following. A fluorescent image is input, which represents an expression of a specific biological substance in a sample stained with a fluorescent substance by a fluorescent bright spot. A quantitative evaluation value of the fluorescent bright spot is calculated. A standard fluorescent image of a standard sample stained under a same condition as the sample and representing an expression of the biological substance in a standard sample, is input under a same condition as the fluorescent image. A quantitative evaluation value in the standard fluorescent image is calculated under a same condition as the fluorescent image. Based on a correlation between an expression amount of the biological substance in a standard sample measured in advance and the evaluation value in the standard fluorescent image, the evaluation value in the fluorescent image is converted to an expression amount of the biological substance in the sample.

Provided is a method for staining a tissue enabling highly precise staining, by which the expression amount and/or the location of a biological substance in a tissue sample can be detected with a high quantitativity together with detailed information that can be obtained by bright field observation. The tissue staining method of the present invention is a method for staining a tissue, in which both staining that allows bright field observation and fluorescence staining are carried out for the same specific biological substance.

Method for staining tissue

An image processing device includes an input unit and an alignment unit. The input unit inputs a cell shape image and a fluorescence image. The cell shape image shows a shape of a cell in a tissue section. The fluorescence image shows expression of a specific protein as a fluorescent bright point in a region same as a region in the tissue section. The alignment unit aligns the cell shape image and the fluorescence image based on an information source detected in both the cell shape image and the fluorescence image.

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Sendai, Japan

Mika Watanabe