Three dimensional template matching segmentation method for motile cells in 3D+t video sequences

In this work, we describe a segmentation cell method oriented to deal with experimental data obtained from 3D+t microscopical volumes. The proposed segmentation technique takes advantage of the pattern of appearances exhibited by the objects (cells) from different focal planes, as a result of the object translucent properties and its interaction with light. This information allows us to discriminate between cells and artifacts (dust an other) with equivalent size and shape that are present in the biological preparation. Using a simple correlation criteria, the method matches a 3D video template (extracted from a sample of cells) with the motile cells contained into the biological sample, obtaining a high rate of true positives while discarding artifacts. In this work, our analysis is focused on sea urchin spermatozoa cells but is applicable to many other microscopical structures having the same optical properties.