Quality evaluation method for spheroid including hepatocytes

Inventors: Ryo Hasebe (Kyoto, JP); Toshihiko Maekawa (Tokyo, JP); Ayu Inoue (Tokyo, JP)

Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.; Cyfuse Biomedical K.K.

G06T7/0012 G06T7/11 G06T2207/30024

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12682458
App. No.: 18/599,728
Granted: Jul 14, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

In an evaluation method, first, spheroids obtained by three-dimensional culture of multiple kinds of liver-derived cells are imaged by optical coherence photography, a localization region is extracted from the photographic image, the localization region is analyzed (analysis step), and the condition of the spheroid is evaluated. The analysis step includes a first calculation step of calculating the area of the entire spheroid in the photographic image, a second calculation step of calculating the area of the localization region, a third calculation step of calculating the ratio of the localization region on the basis of the two areas, and a fourth calculation step of calculating an evaluation parameter on the basis of the ratio.

Claims (32)

1 . An evaluation method for a spheroid used in a bio 3D printer, comprising:

an image acquisition step of imaging the spheroid by optical coherence tomography and acquiring a photographic image;

a region extraction step of extracting a localization region in which one kind of cell is localized, from the photographic image;

an analysis step of analyzing the localization region; and

an evaluation step of evaluating a condition of the spheroid, wherein

the spheroid is a spheroid including multiple kinds of liver-derived cells including a hepatocyte, and

the analysis step includes:

a first calculation step of calculating an area of the entire spheroid in the photographic image;

a second calculation step of calculating an area of the localization region in the photographic image;

a third calculation step of calculating a ratio of the localization region on the basis of the area of the entire spheroid and the area of the localization region; and

a fourth calculation step of calculating an evaluation parameter on the basis of the ratio of the localization region,

wherein the evaluation parameter is an estimated value of enzyme activity of CYP3A4 in the spheroid.

2 . The evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation step includes a determination step of determining a quality of the spheroid on the basis of the evaluation parameter.

3 . The evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation parameter is an estimated value of a secretion amount of predetermined protein in the spheroid.

4 . The evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein

the region extraction step includes:

a first extraction step of extracting an entire region corresponding to the spheroid, from the photographic image;

a second extraction step of extracting a high-intensity region of which intensity value is higher than a predetermined threshold value in the entire region; and

a third extraction step of extracting a region that is left after the high-intensity region and a region inner than the high-intensity region are excluded from the entire region, as the localization region.

5 . An evaluation method for a spheroid used in a bio 3D printer, comprising:

a training step of creating a trained model configured to receive a photographic image of the spheroid imaged by optical coherence tomography, as input information, and produce a localization region in which one kind of cell is localized, as output information, by deep learning;