Granted Patent B2

US 12,380,573 · App. 17/781,898 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

Inventors: Yuki Imaizumi (Ehime, JP); Kenji Iwao (Ehime, JP)

Assignee: HIROTSU BIO SCIENCE INC.

G06T7/20G06T7/74G06T2207/30096

Abstract

Claims (42)

1. A taxis analysis method for performing taxis analysis of nematodes using a container in which a reference point is provided in the container or a culture medium in the container, the taxis analysis method comprising:

imaging a distribution mode of the nematodes in the container;

detecting a position of a reference point object, corresponding to the reference point, included in an image obtained by the imaging;

determining an attraction region and/or an avoidance region in the image based on the detected position of the reference point object included in the image; and

executing taxis analysis using objects of nematodes in the determined attraction region and/or the avoidance region,

wherein the determining of the attraction region and/or the avoidance region further comprises:

detecting a center of a container object corresponding to the container included in the image,

determining, in the image, an angle of a straight line passing through both the position of the reference point object and the center of the container object with respect to a reference line; and

one of (1) rotating a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line by the angle, and superimposing the rotated reference format on the image to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the image; (2) rotating the image by the angle to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the rotated image; and (3) rotating the container by the angle, imaging a distribution mode of the nematodes in the container after the rotation to obtain a second image, and determining the attraction region and/or the avoidance region by comparing the second image with a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line.

2. The taxis analysis method according to claim 1 , wherein the executing of the taxis analysis further comprises counting the nematodes in the determined attraction region and/or the nematodes in the determined avoidance region, and outputting a taxis analysis result according to a count result.

3. The taxis analysis method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the reference point is a code including particular container identification information identifying the container,

the image obtained in the imaging includes a code object corresponding to the code, and

the taxis analysis method further comprises:

reading the particular container identification information from the code object; and

storing, in a storage, a taxis analysis result that is a result of executing the taxis analysis in association with the read container identification information.

4. The taxis analysis method according to claim 3 ,

wherein subject identification information identifying a subject and container identification information are stored in the storage in association with each other, and

the taxis analysis method further comprises identifying subject identification information corresponding to the particular container identification information read from the code object with reference to the storage.

5. The taxis analysis method according to claim 1 , wherein the reference point comprises a first reference point and/or a second reference point.

6. The taxis analysis method according to claim 1 , further comprising removing a lid of the container before imaging an inside of the container.

7. A cancer evaluation method comprising:

performing the taxis analysis method according to claim 1 to obtain a taxis analysis result; and

evaluating a possibility of cancer in a subject using the taxis analysis result obtained.

8. A taxis analysis system for performing taxis analysis of nematodes using a container in which a reference point is provided in the container or a culture medium in the container, the taxis analysis system comprising:

control circuitry configured to control an imaging unit to image a distribution mode of the nematodes in the container; and

analysis circuitry configured to detect a position of a reference point object corresponding to the reference point included in an image obtained by the imaging unit, determine an attraction region and/or an avoidance region in the image based on the detected position, and execute taxis analysis using objects of nematodes in the determined attraction region and/or avoidance region,

wherein the analysis circuitry is further configured to determine of the attraction region and/or the avoidance region by:

detecting a center of a container object corresponding to the container included in the image,

determining, in the image, an angle of a straight line passing through both the position of the reference point object and the center of the container object with respect to a reference line; and

one of (1) rotating a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line by the angle, and superimposing the rotated reference format on the image to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the image; (2) rotating the image by the angle to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the rotated image; and (3) rotating the container by the angle, imaging a distribution mode of the nematodes in the container after the rotation to obtain a second image, and determining the attraction region and/or the avoidance region by comparing the second image with a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line.

9. A taxis analysis method for performing taxis analysis of nematodes, the taxis analysis method comprising:

imaging a distribution mode of nematodes in a container;

extracting a region occupied by objects of nematodes corresponding to the nematodes included in an image obtained by the imaging;

executing taxis analysis using an area value of the extracted region in an attraction region and/or an avoidance region in the image,

wherein the executing step comprises determining of the attraction region and/or the avoidance region by:

detecting a center of a container object corresponding to the container included in the image,

determining, in the image, an angle of a straight line passing through both a position of a reference point object and the center of the container object with respect to a reference line; and

one of (1) rotating a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line by the angle, and superimposing the rotated reference format on the image to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the image; (2) rotating the image by the angle to determine the attraction region and/or the avoidance region in the rotated image; and (3) rotating the container by the angle, imaging a distribution mode of the nematodes in the container after the rotation to obtain a second image, and determining the attraction region and/or the avoidance region by comparing the second image with a reference format in which the attraction region and/or the avoidance region is set in advance with respect to the reference line.

10. A cancer evaluation method comprising:

performing the taxis analysis method according to claim 9 to obtain a taxis analysis result; and

evaluating a possibility of cancer in a subject by using the taxis analysis result obtained.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (27)