Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
08:40
Quantitation of Protein Expression and Co-localization Using Multiplexed Immuno-histochemical Staining and Multispectral Imaging
Published on: April 8, 2016
Algorithm-based quantification of tissue vascularization in immunohistochemical stainings of tissue sections
Ario Dastmaltschi1,2, Tarik Bozoglu1,2, Vijayanand Rajendran1,2
1Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine I, TUM University Hospital Rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Quantifying vascular structures like capillaries and pericytes is challenging. A new automated software, CAPPER, standardizes this analysis, improving accuracy across various tissues and diseases.
Area of Science:
- Vascular biology
- Biomedical imaging
- Computational pathology
Background:
- The vascular system comprises endothelial cells and mural cells (pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells).
- Accurate identification and quantification of these cell types in immunohistochemistry are difficult due to cell proximity and unreliable markers.
- Manual quantification methods for capillaries and pericytes are subjective and lack inter-observer reliability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an automated, standardized method for quantifying vascular structures in immunohistochemical images.
- To overcome the limitations of manual analysis in assessing capillary density and pericyte coverage.
- To introduce a novel pericyte marker array for improved cell identification.
Main Methods:
- Development of an algorithm-based analysis software named CAPPER (Capillary / Pericyte Quantification Tool).
- Implementation of adaptive thresholding, morphological operations, and domain-specific knowledge within the software.
- Validation of CAPPER across diverse organs, species, and disease states.
Main Results:
- CAPPER successfully standardizes the quantification of capillary densities and pericyte coverage.
- The software demonstrates high performance in various organs (brain, heart, muscle, kidney) and species (mouse, pig).
- The proposed pericyte marker array enhances the accurate identification of pericytes.
Conclusions:
- CAPPER provides a robust and automated solution for quantifying vascular structures, addressing key challenges in immunohistochemical analysis.
- The tool enhances reproducibility and comparability of vascular research across different laboratories and experimental conditions.
- The developed pericyte marker array offers a more reliable approach for pericyte identification in research settings.
