Systems and methods for assessing images

摘要

Disclosed are systems and methods for assessing images in applications such as microscopic scanning of a slide having light emitting objects. In certain embodiments, such scanning can involve objects such as sequencing beads disposed on the slide to facilitate biological analysis such as nucleic acid sequencing. Also disclosed are certain embodiments where images of light emitting objects are assessed for image quality so as to facilitate a feedback response such as a corrective action. In certain embodiments, such assessment and correction can be performed in real-time during the scanning process, and can include re-acquisition of the assessed image. Also disclosed are certain embodiments where such assessment and correction can be triggered dynamically during the scan, or before start of the scan, so as to enhance the scanning performance, including scanning time and throughput.

主权项

1. A nucleic acid sequencing system, comprising:
a reaction chamber including a surface with one or more nucleic acid molecules disposed on said surface, wherein said surface is populated with a plurality of labeled oligonucleotide probes arranged in a plurality of panels, and wherein said plurality of oligonucleotide probes generate detectable signals and query the sequence of at least a portion of said one or more nucleic acid molecules; an imaging system, including a focus component and an exposure component, configured to image said surface to detect said detectable signals and form images of said panels used in sequencing of said at least a portion of said one or more nucleic acid molecules; a processor configured to assess the quality of said images based on a comparison of a measured signal distribution of a feature in said image with a reference signal distribution of the feature, wherein said assessment indicates whether an image of a panel is non-optimal because the focus is outside of a preselected range, the image exposure is outside of a preselected range, or the image is elongated by reaction chamber vibration; the processor configured to determine, based on said assessment, whether to perform a rescue operation for an image of a panel and how to perform said rescue operation, wherein said rescue operation includes reacquiring said panel image based on either a predicted focusing surface position or an increased delay after reaction chamber movement; the processor configured to add a non-optimal panel to a rescue queue, based on said determination, with at least information identifying at least one non-optimal panel and a corresponding type of rescue to be performed for said at least one non-optimal panel; and the processor configured to correct for said at least one condition by instructing the imaging system to reacquire said panel images based on said rescue queue; the processor configured to reassess the image quality of said reacquired images and designate each as either acceptable or non-rescuable.