Journal Article

Deep learning-enabled virtual histological staining of biological samples

Zhang, Yijie, Ozcan, Aydogan, Bai, Bijie, Li, Yuzhu, Pillar, Nir, Yang, Xilin

2023

Overview

Histological staining is the gold standard for tissue examination in clinical pathology and life-science research, which visualizes the tissue and cellular structures using chromatic dyes or fluorescence labels to aid the microscopic assessment of tissue. However, the current histological staining workflow requires tedious sample preparation steps, specialized laboratory infrastructure, and trained histotechnologists, making it expensive, time-consuming, and not accessible in resource-limited settings. Deep learning techniques created new opportunities to revolutionize staining methods by digitally generating histological stains using trained neural networks, providing rapid, cost-effective, and accurate alternatives to standard chemical staining methods. These techniques, broadly referred to as virtual staining , were extensively explored by multiple research groups and demonstrated to be successful in generating various types of histological stains from label-free microscopic images of unstained samples; similar approaches were also used for transforming images of an already stained tissue sample into another type of stain, performing virtual stain-to-stain transformations. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent research advances in deep learning-enabled virtual histological staining techniques. The basic concepts and the typical workflow of virtual staining are introduced, followed by a discussion of representative works and their technical innovations. We also share our perspectives on the future of this emerging field, aiming to inspire readers from diverse scientific fields to further expand the scope of deep learning-enabled virtual histological staining techniques and their applications. Deep Learning enables virtual histological staining of biological samples.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Springer Nature B.V,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 639/624/1107/328 / 639/624/1111/55 / Deep learning / Lasers / Microwaves / Neural networks / Optical and Electronic Materials / Optical Devices / Optics / Photonics / Physics / Physics and Astronomy / Review / Review Article / RF and Optical Engineering / Stains / Stains & staining