Automated and reproducible detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in renal tissue sections

Abstract

Background. Manual analysis of tissue sections, such as for pathological diagnosis, requires an analyst with substantial knowledge and experience. Reproducible image analysis of biological samples is steadily gaining scientific importance. The aim of the present study was to employ image analysis followed by machine learning to identify vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in kidney tissue that had been subjected to hypoxia. Methods. Light microscopy images of renal tissue sections stained for VEGF were analyzed. Subsequently, machine learning classified the cells as VEGF+ and VEGF- cells. Results. VEGF was detected and cells were counted with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion. With great clinical, diagnostic, and research potential, automatic image analysis offers a new quantitative capability, thereby adding numerical information to a mostly qualitative diagnostic approach.