Eye for trouble: Automated counting for chromosome issues under the microscope
Machine learning algorithm automates key analysis for medical diagnosis
2026-01-10
(Press-News.org)
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a suite of algorithms to automate the counting of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in chromosomes under the microscope. Conventional analysis requires trained personnel and time, with variability between different people. The team’s machine-learning-based algorithm boasts an accuracy of 84% and gives a more objective measurement. This could be a game changer for diagnosing disorders tied to abnormal numbers of SCEs, like Bloom syndrome.
DNA, the blueprint of life for all living organisms, is found packaged inside complex structures called chromosomes. When DNA is replicated, two identical strands known as sister chromatids, each carrying exactly the same genetic information, are formed. Unlike in meiosis, sister chromatids do not need to undergo recombination during mitosis, and in most cases they are transmitted intact to the daughter cells. However, when some form of damage occurs in DNA, the organism attempts to repair the lesion by using the remaining undamaged DNA as a template. During this repair process, it often happens that specific segments of the sister chromatids are exchanged with each other. During this repair process, it often happens that specific segments of the sister chromatids are exchanged with each other. This “sister chromatic exchange” (SCE) is not harmful itself, but too many can be a good indicator for some serious disorders. Examples include Bloom syndrome: affected people can have a predisposition to cancer.
To count SCEs, normal methods involve experienced clinicians looking at stained chromosomes under the microscope, trying to identify the telltale “swapped” segments of sister chromatids. Not only is this labor intensive and slow, but it can also be subjective, dependent on how the human eye perceives features. A fully automated analysis of microscope images would save time and give objective measures of the number of SCEs, for more consistent diagnoses across different clinical environments.
Now, a team led by Professors Kiyoshi Nishikawa and Kan Okubo from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a suite of algorithms using machine learning to count SCEs in images. They combined separate methods, one to identify individual chromosomes, another to tell whether there are SCEs, and finally, another to cluster and count them, giving an objective, fully automated measurement of the number of SCEs in a microscope image. They found an accuracy of 84.1%, a level which is enough for practical applications. To see how it performed with real data, they collected images of chromosomes from cells with an artificially knocked out BLM gene, the kind of suppression seen in Bloom syndrome patients. The team’s algorithm was able to give counts for SCEs which were consistent with those given by human counters.
Work is currently under way to use the vast amounts of available clinical data to train the algorithm, with more refinements to come. The team believes that replacing manual counting with full automation will help realize faster, more objective clinical analysis than ever before, and that this is only the beginning for what AI can bring to medical research.
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 22H05072, 25K09513, and 22K12170.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2026-01-09
The U.S. boasts more than 4 million miles of rivers, peppered with laws and regulations to protect access to drinking water and essential habitat for fish and wildlife. But in the first comprehensive review of river protection, research co-led by the University of Washington shows that the existing regulations account for less than 20% of total river length and vary widely by region.
Freshwater conservation strategies have historically emphasized protections against land use and development on public ...
2026-01-09
Professor Zhaohui Tang and Associate Professor Zhilin Liu from the team of Professor Xuesi Chen at the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed ultrasound-responsive in-situ antigen nanocatchers (S-nanocatchers), achieving precise spatiotemporal capture of tumor antigens and controllable acquisition of in-situ vaccines. This system solves the key problems of traditional antigen-capturing nanocarriers, such as their tendency to non-specifically bind to serum proteins during systemic circulation and their low antigen capture efficiency, providing a novel strategy for personalized tumor ...
2026-01-09
Environmental antimicrobial resistance is turning rivers, soils, and even the air into hidden highways for “superbugs,” according to a new review that calls for urgent, coordinated action across human, animal, and environmental health. The authors argue that protecting people from drug resistant infections now depends as much on wastewater plants and farms as it does on hospitals.
A growing environmental “superbug” crisis
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and other microbes evolve the ability to ...
2026-01-09
Invisible pollutants in high tech greenhouses may be quietly reshaping the food on our plates and the soil beneath our feet. A new open access review maps how heavy metals, micro and nanoplastics, and antibiotic resistance genes increasingly pile up together in intensive “facility agriculture” and why this triple cocktail demands urgent attention from scientists, farmers, and regulators.
The paper reviews composite pollution in facility agriculture, a fast growing form of high yield farming that relies on greenhouses and other controlled environments to produce vegetables and other crops year round. ...
2026-01-09
Earthworms could become unexpected allies in the global fight against antibiotic resistance, by helping farmers turn manure into safer, high-value organic fertilizer through a process called vermicomposting. Researchers report that this low energy, nature-based technology can remove antibiotic resistance genes far more consistently than conventional composting, while also improving soil health and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Antibiotic resistance from farm to table
The World Health Organization has named antimicrobial resistance one ...
2026-01-09
Artificial intelligence is quietly transforming how scientists monitor and manage invisible biological pollutants in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, and a new review explains how this technological shift could better protect ecosystems and public health.
In a paper published in the open access journal Biocontaminant, researchers from Nanjing University outline how AI can turn water quality management from a reactive, after the fact process into a proactive early warning and control system for harmful microbes, algal toxins, parasites, and antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environments. These living “biocontaminants” are highly ...
2026-01-09
Biodegradable plastics are not always safer for rivers and oceans, according to a new study that tracked how different plastics change the risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria over time in a real river.
A sharper look at “green” plastics
A team from East China Normal University placed common plastics in a tidal river in Shanghai for 88 days to see how they shaped microbial “cities” on their surfaces, known as the plastisphere. The researchers compared a biodegradable plastic, polylactic acid (PLA), with two widely used conventional plastics, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS).
“Our findings show that biodegradable plastics ...
2026-01-09
A team of agricultural and environmental scientists has developed a simple biochar based technology that can strip self toxic chemicals from pepper growing soils and restore healthy seed germination. The work offers a promising new tool to help farmers overcome “continuous cropping obstacles” that have long plagued high value capsicum production.
“Pepper farmers often feel forced to choose between meeting market demand and protecting their soil. Our study shows they do not have to make that trade ...
2026-01-09
Planning to save time by doing your shopping online? If so, it’s possible you’re not doing your well-being any favours. A study from Aalto University in Finland has found that online shopping is more strongly linked to stress than reading the news, checking your inbox or watching adult entertainment. The internet can be both a source and a reliever of stress though, according to research –– so do we scroll because we’re stressed, or are we stressed because we scroll?
It's a complex problem to unravel, according to doctoral researcher Mohammed Belal.
‘Previous studies have shown ...
2026-01-09
ITHACA, N.Y. – Someone in the office makes a racially insensitive comment, and a white co-worker asks a Black colleague to help correct the offender.
In three studies, a Cornell University researcher found that this kind of maneuver can backfire. In such scenarios, the marginalized person then views the person who asked for their help less favorably – and is less likely to want to associate with them in the future.
“A marginalized person’s willingness to get involved in confronting prejudice is much more complicated than simply just trying to reduce prejudice in the workplace,” said Merrick Osborne, professor of organizational behavior at Cornell ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Eye for trouble: Automated counting for chromosome issues under the microscope
Machine learning algorithm automates key analysis for medical diagnosis
