Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy and Machine Learning for Rhesus D Antigen Classification

Sci Rep. 2016 Sep 1:6:32317. doi: 10.1038/srep32317.

Abstract

In transfusion medicine, the identification of the Rhesus D type is important to prevent anti-D immunisation in Rhesus D negative recipients. In particular, the detection of the very low expressed DEL phenotype is crucial and hence constitutes the bottleneck of standard immunohaematology. The current method of choice, adsorption-elution, does not provide unambiguous results. We have developed a complementary method of high sensitivity that allows reliable identification of D antigen expression. Here, we present a workflow composed of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, image processing, and machine learning that - for the first time - enables the identification of even small amounts of D antigen on the cellular level. The high sensitivity of our technique captures the full range of D antigen expression (including D+, weak D, DEL, D-), allows automated population analyses, and results in classification test accuracies of up to 96%, even for very low expressed phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Erythrocytes / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Machine Learning*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Phenotype
  • Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / blood
  • Rh-Hr Blood-Group System / classification*
  • Rho(D) Immune Globulin / metabolism
  • Statistics as Topic

Substances

  • RHO(D) antibody
  • Rh-Hr Blood-Group System
  • Rho(D) Immune Globulin
  • Rho(D) antigen