All known living organisms are composed of cells.  ImarisCell now allows you to use this natural and universal unit when doing your image analysis work. ImarisCell can identify individual cells in addition to their nuclei and vesicles, thus enabling statistics on a per cell as well as per intracellular component basis.  With ImarisCell, the fundamental unit of analysis has changed from a single image to clusters of cells, individual cells, or components of cells. This evolution prevents unnecessary generalizations caused by the limitations of single image analysis and facilitates specificity at the biological level of detail dictated by your research.

ImarisCell goes beyond what other image processing programs can do by using the biologist's concept of cells and applying topological constraints on the detection of organelles. It encapsulates Bitplane's powerful image analysis algorithms and simple yet high-level creation wizards to manage the detection, display and editing of multiple objects (i.e. Cells, Nuclei and Vesicles). As always, Bitplane provides an interactive 3D interface with real time previews, interactive sorting and object selection using: filters, graphs, statistics tables, or by selecting directly within the image.

ImarisCell provides the platform necessary for 4D analysis (tracking 3D structures over time) which allows changes in size, shape, intensity, and position to be examined between cells or between organelles within a cell. This provides researchers with the opportunity to examine communication mechanisms as well as mechanical and structural functions of cells and cell components.
 

The following features are available within ImarisCell:

(1) Ability to utilize a biologically meaningful analysis unit

Classically, microscopists have been forced to analyze their data on a per field or per image basis.  They could count, for example, the number of cells in the entire image or the number of vesicles in the entire image, but could not easily count the number of vesicles in each individual cell when an image contained more than one cell.  ImarisCell allows the researcher to determine which analysis unit they would like to use. 

• Analysis can be classically performed on the entire image
• Analysis can be performed on a per cell basis i.e statistics for components within each cell
• Analysis can be performed on a per component basis i.e. statistics on the individual components such as nuclei and vesicles
• Analysis can be performed on combinations of objects that meet certain statistical criteria (see object / object relationships below)

ImarisCell provides researchers with the ability to segment up to three different structures at the same time and allows those structures to be related to one another in 4D space / time.   

• The cell is the only non optional "container" in ImarisCell. Researchers segment this structure based on a cytoplasm or membrane stain. The cell component is required because if other structures are also segmented these additional structures must be related to the cell. The user can choose any color channel for this component.
• The researcher has the option of segmenting the nucleus of each cell. Since a nucleus must belong to a cell it is essential to detect the nucleus and cell simultaneously. The nucleus can be segmented from a separate color channel.
• The researcher has the option of segmenting vesicles. A "vesicle" for ImarisCell can be any foci-like structure within a cell. In addition to actual vesicles this ImarisCell entity could be used to identify vacuoles, lysosomes, nucleoli, centrosomes, etc. Because these components are related to the cell, it is essential that they are detected at the same time as the cell. Vesicles can be segmented from the same color channel as the nucleus or cell or a different color channel.

(3) A structured creation wizard that imposes appropriate biological constraints

ImarisCell takes biologists' knowledge about the appropriate structure of a cell and utilizes this during segmentation.  This allows the program to deal with common problems associated with imaging cells and allows researchers to obtain more accurate results.

• The Nucleus - Biologists understand that a cell is container that is defined by a membrane. The Nucleus of the cell must reside within this container. However, during imaging it is often possible to have very limited staining of the membrane immediately surrounding the Nucleus. This would cause the Nucleus, if it were near the edge of the membrane, to appear outside of the Cell, which as biologists we know is typically not possible in living cells. ImarisCell provides several options to correct this:
  • Expand the Cell area to contain the Nucleus
  • Reduce the Nucleus to be within the area defined as the Cell
• Many types of cells should only have one Nucleus. ImarisCell provides an option to eliminate other objects detected within a single cell as nuclei so that there is only one nuclei per cell. This is a huge benefit when nuclear staining is poor.

(4) Ability to examine object / object relationships

ImarisCell gives researchers the ability to examine complex relationships between cells, between cell components, or of components within a cell.  This ability is derived from the fact that ImarisCell understands that a cell is a highly complex micro enviornment which includes both nuclei and vesicles.  Therefore statistics can be generated on a per cell basis and spatial relationships within a cell can be determined.

Utilizing the filtering and classification of ImarisCell researchers can begin to ask a series of advanced questions and receive answers to those queries.  For example, ImarisCell could easily identify all the cells in the image where the Vesicles inside the Cell were close to the membrane and the Cell itself was moving quickly relative to the other cells in the image.

(5) Ability to use and import Imaris objects into ImarisCell

If users already have segmented datasets using existing Imaris components such as Spots and Surfaces or if users do not want to use the ImarisCell component for the segmentation because they are used to working with the other Imaris objects, they can still benefit from the power of ImarisCell.  ImarisCell allows any Surface object (automatically, semi-automatically, or manually created) to be imported into ImarisCell as either a Cell or Nucleus.  Likewise, any Spots object (automatically or semi-automatically created) can be imported to ImarisCell as vesicles.  This benefits users because they can utilize the wide range of segmentation functions in Imaris and still benefit from the object relationships report established in ImarisCell.

(6) Biologically meaningful object statistics

Because ImarisCell knows that the relationship between components of the cell is important for research and because it  can make associations between components, it can therefore directly provide statistics that are important to biologists.

The location of vesicles within a cell can provide many clues about cellular function or functions of those vesicles within a cell.  Therefore ImarisCell provides information on vesicle distance to; the closest nuclear wall, the center of the nucleus, to the edge of the membrane as well as the relative position within the cytoplasm or the nucleus.

(7) 4D analysis (3D over time) for all components

Cells are living entities and ideally researchers want to study them in the most realistic environment possible.  This includes watching them in 3D space and longitudinally evaluating behavioral changes of the cells and their cell components.  Not only can researchers track the cells themselves in 3D, they can track the movement of the nucleus and vesicles within each cell.  The movement of these cell components is automatically corrected for the movement of the cell itself, so that the actual movement of the cell components within the cell is measured.   As an example, movement toward or away from a membrane can be measured.  Likewise, changes to the count, size, shape, and intensity of the cell components over time can be measured.

(8) Advanced visualization options

• Each ImarisCell component can be color coded with any calculated statistical value.  This allows researchers to quickly and easily show in a visual manner complex relationships between cell components or their size, shape, or behavior.

• ImarisCell components can also be exported to Imaris where additional visualization options are available.  Cells and Nuclei can be exported as surfaces thus providing access to all available options in the surpass view.  Likewise, vesicles can be exported as spots.
• The standard snapshot and animation functions of Imaris can be utilized to produce stunning visual output of the resulting analysis of ImarisCell images.

(9) Compatibility with ImarisXT

ImarisCell is fully compatible with ImarisXT.  This means that researchers can use their own applications for advanced segmentation if they choose and then can import Cells, Nuclei, and Vesicles into Imaris to visualize the results and perform the analysis.  Likewise, Cells, Nuclei, and Vesicles can be exported from ImarisCell with ImarisXT if researchers wish to do the analysis in their own application.  ImarisCell is consistent with the other Imaris modules in allowing open exchange of image data, derived objects, and metadata between Imaris and custom programmed code.

(10) Selection, Classification, and Interaction

Because ImarisCell is a module of Imaris it utilizes the same selection, classification, and interaction functions that Imaris is known for.   Researchers can pick cells, nuclei, or vesicles right in the 3D visual view and immediately have the associated statistics highlighted in the table and vice versa.  Imaris InMotion can be utilized for selection of what otherwise might be difficult to select objects in 3D space.  The same object filtering and classification methods used in Imaris MeasurementPro can be utilized to select any cell component or specific sub populations of cell components.