What is MIASMA?

MIASMA is the collective name for a number of projects involving image analysis in which I am collaborating with medics. Since about 1993 I have been writing software for image analysis, principally for applications in nanoscience and related disciplines. The software that I have written, and continue to develop and expand, is Image SXM. Although written for scanning microscopy applications, I have found that Image SXM is an excellent platform on which to develop specialist image analysis solutions for the specific needs of users, including those who obtain images from light microscopes. MIASMA is the result of a number of these specialist applications having some common ground and so benefiting from being considered as part of a larger, overarching project.

What are the MIASMA projects?

Intracellular Air Pollution Particulates
	Collaborators Dr Stephen Gordon Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Dr Duncan Fullerton Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	Aims i) To identify particulate matter and differentiate it from cell cytoplasm. ii) To measure the area of particulate matter relative to that of the cell cytoplasm. Documentation  MIASMA-PMA-v7.pdf

Malaria Parasites
	Collaborator Professor Alister Craig Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	Aim To identify malaria parasites and differentiate them from background features. Documentation  MIASMA-PCA-v5.pdf

Microcirculation Flow
	Collaborators Dr Enitan Carrol Institute of Child Health, UoL Dr Richard Sarginson Alder Hey Children's Hospital Dr Fauzia Paize UoL and Liverpool Women's Hospital	Aims i) To identify capillaries in videos of capillary networks and measure capillary vessel density. ii) To measure blood flow speed as a function of capillary diameter. Documentation  MIASMA-MCA-v5.pdf

Retinal Imaging
	Collaborators Professor Simon Harding Ophthalmology Research Unit, UoL Dr Yalin Zheng Ophthalmology Research Unit, UoL	Aims To identify specific features such as: Blood vessel network Optic disc Haemorrhages Exudates Documentation  Not yet available

Parasite Morphology
	Collaborators Dr Rod Dillon Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Mr Hector Diaz Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	Aims i) To identify leishmaniasis parasites. ii) To identify the developmental stage of the parasites by the shape and size of the parasite bodies and flagella. Documentation  Not yet available

Lymphocyte Flow
	Collaborator Dr Carlo Laudanna Department of Pathology University of Verona	Aims i) To identify lymphocyte cells flowing through a glass capillary. ii) To measure the length of time that cells are arrested by or rolling along the capillary wall. Documentation  MIASMA-LFA-v4.pdf

Bacilli Lipid Bodies
	Collaborator Dr Derek Sloan Clinical Sciences, UoL	Aim To measure the number of bacilli that contain lipid bodies. Documentation  Not yet available

Fibrillin Microfibrils
	Collaborator Dr Riaz Akhtar Ocular Biomechanics Group School of Engineering, UoL	Aim To speed up the analysis of microfibrils by semi-automating the process of identifying microfibril beads and calculating their xy coordinates. Documentation  MIASMA-MFA-v3.pdf

Bacterial MicroCompartments
	Collaborator Dr Luning Liu Institute of Integrative Biology, UoL	Aim To determine the locations of microcompartments within the outlines of bacterial membranes. Documentation  Not yet available

Chromosome Analysis
	Collaborator Richard Wilkes Liverpool Women's Hospital	Aim To identify normal and abnormal chromosomes using the banding patterns visible when the chromosomes are stained. Documentation  Not yet available

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Who is working on MIASMA projects?

Apart from me, I recruite project students from Physics degree programmes and Summer students:

Steve Barrett     October 2019

S.D.Barrett@liv.ac.uk

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