User-friendly analysis of droplet array images

Anal Chim Acta. 2023 Sep 1:1272:341397. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341397. Epub 2023 Jun 4.

Abstract

Water-in-oil droplets allow performing massive experimental parallelization and high-throughput studies, such as single-cell experiments. However, analyzing such vast arrays of droplets usually requires advanced expertise and sophisticated workflow tools, which limits accessibility for a wider user base in the fields of chemistry and biology. Thus, there is a need for more user-friendly tools for droplet analysis. In this article, we deliver a set of analytical pipelines for user-friendly analysis of typical scenarios in droplet experiments. We built pipelines that combine various open-source image-analysis software with a custom-developed data processing tool called "EasyFlow". Our pipelines are applicable to the typical experimental scenarios that users encounter when working with droplets: i) mono- and polydisperse droplets, ii) brightfield and fluorescent images, iii) droplet and object detection, iv) signal profile of droplets and objects (e.g., fluorescence).

Keywords: Droplet analysis; EasyFlow; High-throughput analysis; User-friendly.

MeSH terms

  • Coloring Agents
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted* / methods
  • Software*
  • Workflow

Substances

  • Coloring Agents