Measuring Whole Body Fluorescence and Movement in Freely Swimming Transgenic Zebrafish for Measuring Stress from Exposure to Environmental Stressors

Toyon Research Corporation proposes a Phase II SBIR project for development and delivery of a complete prototype system which performs 3D tracking and fluorescence measurement for transgenic zebrafish. The developed prototype will include both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware selected to optimize the collection of zebrafish fluorescence measurements, and advanced algorithms for stereo fluorescence video processing. The proposed algorithms include stereo sensor calibration enabling accurate 3D tracking, fluorescence clutter suppression enabling accurate measurement of dim fluorescence signals, and 3D tracking in a track-before-detect framework for near-optimal tracking of multiple fish in dim fluorescence video. In Phase II, the developed algorithms will be implemented in C++/CUDA software for efficient processing using a commercial off-the-shelf desktop or laptop computer. During Phase II, Toyon will deliver the complete prototype to the Army and support Army personnel in using the developed system. Toyon will also pursue other government transition and commercialization opportunities for the developed technology.