MICROCOMPUTER ASSISTED PROCEDURES FOR CYTOGENETICS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS SYSTEM IS PROPOSED HERE TO ENABLE A TRAINED CYTOGENETICIST TO ANALYZE CLINICAL CHROMOSOME PREPARATIONS MORE EFFICIENTLY AND ACCURATELY. IN CONTRAST TO SOME MINICOMPUTER-BASED CHROMOSOME ""IDENTIFICATION'' SYSTEMS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT OR BEING ACTIVELY MARKETED, THE PROPOSED SYSTEM WOULD ALLOW THE TRAINED CYTOGENETICIST TO DO THE ACTUAL ANALYSIS ASSOCIATED WITH CHROMOMOSOME RECOGNITION AND THE RECOGNITION OF CHROMOSOME DEFECTS. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM WOULD THEN AID THE CYTOGENETICIST IN ASSEMBLING FINAL KARYOTYPES FROM VIDEO IMAGES DIGITIZED DIRECTLY FROM THE MICROSCOPE. THE SYSTEM WOULD PRODUCE PERMANENT RECORDS OF CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITIES AND WOULD PROVIDE AN ARCHIVING SYSTEM FOR CHROMOSOME ANALYSES OF PATIENTS, ALLOWING NEARLY INSTANTANEOUS RETRIEVAL OF CHROMOSOME DATA IN A PICTORIAL FORMAT. THIS APPROACH TO INTERACTIVE CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS SHOULD GREATLY INCREASE THE SPEED WITH WHICH RESULTS CAN BE OBTAINED ON A CLINICAL LEVEL, EASE THE FATIGUE WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS DIRECTLY FROM THE MICROSCOPE, RELIEVE THE BURDENS ON THE TRAINED CYTOGENETICIST ASSOCIATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION, AND FACILITATE AUTOMATED CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS ARCHIVING AND INFORMATION RETRIEVAL IMPORTANT IN ANY CLINICAL LABORATORY OPERATION. IN ADDITION, THE FORMAT THAT WE PROPOSE FOR INTERACTIVE CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS IS QUITE FLEXIBLE AND SHOULD ALLOW RESEARCH LABORATORIES INTERESTED IN OTHER ORGANISMS AND CELL LINES TO ECONOMICALLY AND EFFICIENTLY ANALYZE CHROMOSOME PREPARATIONS. OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMERCIALIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROJECT ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT, THERE BEING APPROXIMATELY 400 LABORATORIES IN THE UNITED STATES PERFORMING CLINICAL CHROMOSOME ANALYSIS, AND A SMALLER BUT SIGNIFICANT NUMBER INVOLVED IN CYTOGENETICS