This group project called "Development of an image segmentation toolbox for decellularized liver specimens" was done for the Mechanobiology exam at University of Pisa under the supervision of prof. Arti Ahluwalia.
As one field makes progresses, it can often use the help of specifically tailored instruments in order to go further, optimizing time and resources. In this project we have an example of how the field of regenerative medicine can take advantage of the help offered by image processing. It can be tricky and time consuming to assess whether a decellularization process is effective or not, or which one is better among many methods. We developed an image segmentation algorithm in Matlab capable of counting the number of nuclei and of evaluating the matrix percentage in liver tissue specimens treated with two different decellularizing agents (ionic and non-ionic). Furthermore, we have designed a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in order to allow people with little or no understanding of programming to use this tool.
Team members were myself, Alejandro Callara, Renata Bertocchi and Serena Bardelli