Patents by Inventor Maria Petrou

Maria Petrou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7616790
    Abstract: A method of histological assessment of nuclear pleomorphism to identify potential cell nuclei divides image data into overlapping sub-images. It uses principal component analysis to derive monochromatic image data, followed by Otsu thresholding to produce a binary image. It removes image regions at sub-image boundaries, unsuitably small image regions and holes in relatively large image regions. It then reassembles the resulting sub-images into a single image. Perimeters (P) and areas (A) of image regions which are potential cell nuclei are determined and used in calculating nuclear shape factors P2/A. Nuclear pleomorphism is assessed as relatively low, moderate or high according to whether predetermined shape factor thresholds indicate a mean cell nucleus shape factor for an image is relatively low, moderate or high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Qinetiq Limited
    Inventors: Maria Petrou, Anastasios Kesidis, Margaret Jai Varga, Paul Gerard Ducksbury
  • Patent number: 7577280
    Abstract: A method of measurement of mitotic activity from histopathological specimen images initially identifies image pixels with luminances corresponding to mitotic figures and selects from them a reference pixel to provide a reference color. Pixels similar to the reference color are located; image regions are grown on located pixels by adding pixels satisfying thresholds of differences to background and image region luminances. Grown regions are thresholded in area, compactness, width/height ratio, luminance ratio to background and difference between areas grown with perturbed thresholds. Grown regions are counted as indicating mitotic figures by thresholding region number, area and luminance. An alternative method of measuring mitotic activity measures a profile of an image region and counts the image region as corresponding to a mitotic figure if its profile is above a threshold at an intensity associated with mitotic figures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Qinetiq Limited
    Inventors: Christelle Marie Guittet, Paul Gerard Ducksbury, Maria Petrou, Anastasios Kesidis, Roberto Cipolla, Margaret Jai Varga
  • Patent number: 7079675
    Abstract: A method of measuring oestrogen or progesterone receptor (ER or PR) comprises identifying in histopathological specimen image data pixel groups indicating cell nuclei, and deriving image hue and saturation. The image is thresholded using hue and saturation and preferentially stained cells identified. ER or PR status is determined from normalised average saturation and proportion of preferentially stained cells. A method of measuring C-erb-2 comprises correlating window functions with pixel sub-groups to identify cell boundaries, computing measures of cell boundary brightness and sharpness and brightness extent around cell boundaries, and comparing the measures with comparison images associated with different values of C-erb-2. A C-erb-2 value associated with a comparison image having similar brightness-related measures is assigned. A method of measuring vascularity comprises deriving image hue and saturation, producing a segmented image by hue and saturation thresholding and identifying contiguous pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: QinetiQ Limited
    Inventors: Michael J Hamer, Maria Petrou, Anastasios Kesidis, Margaret Varga
  • Publication number: 20060050947
    Abstract: A method of histological assessment of nuclear pleomorphism to identify potential cell nuclei divides image data into overlapping sub-images. It uses principal component analysis to derive monochromatic image data, followed by Otsu thresholding to produce a binary image. It removes image regions at sub-image boundaries, unsuitably small image regions and holes in relatively large image regions. It then reassembles the resulting sub-images into a single image. Perimeters (P) and areas (A) of image regions which are potential cell nuclei are determined and used in calculating nuclear shape factors P2/A. Nuclear pleomorphism is assessed as relatively low, moderate or high according to whether predetermined shape factor thresholds indicate a mean cell nucleus shape factor for an image is relatively low, moderate or high.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Publication date: March 9, 2006
    Applicant: Qinetiq Limited
    Inventors: Maria Petrou, Anastasios Kesidis, Margaret Varga, Paul Ducksbury
  • Publication number: 20050276457
    Abstract: A method of measuring oestrogen or progesterone receptor (ER or PR) comprises identifying in histopathological specimen image data pixel groups indicating cell nuclei, and deriving image hue and saturation. The image is thresholded using hue and saturation and preferentially stained cells identified. ER or PR status is determined from normalised average saturation and proportion of preferentially stained cells. A method of measuring C-erb-2 comprises correlating window functions with pixel sub-groups to identify cell boundaries, computing measures of cell boundary brightness and sharpness and brightness extent around cell boundaries, and comparing the measures with comparison images associated with different values of C-erb-2. A C-erb-2 value associated with a comparison image having similar brightness-related measures is assigned. A method of measuring vascularity comprises deriving image hue and saturation, producing a segmented image by hue and saturation thresholding and identifying contiguous pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Applicant: QINETIQ LIMITED
    Inventors: Michael Hamer, Maria Petrou, Anastosios Kesidis, Margaret Varga
  • Publication number: 20030165263
    Abstract: A method of measuring oestrogen or progesterone receptor (ER or PR) comprises identifying in histopathological specimen image data pixel groups indicating cell nuclei, and deriving image hue and saturation. The image is thresholded using hue and saturation and preferentially stained cells identified. ER or PR status is determined from normalised average saturation and proportion of preferentially stained cells. A method of measuring C-erb-2 comprises correlating window functions with pixel sub-groups to identify cell boundaries, computing measures of cell boundary brightness and sharpness and brightness extent around cell boundaries, and comparing the measures with comparison images associated with different values of C-erb-2. A C-erb-2 value associated with a comparison image having similar brightness-related measures is assigned. A method of measuring vascularity comprises deriving image hue and saturation, producing a segmented image by hue and saturation thresholding and identifying contiguous pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Publication date: September 4, 2003
    Inventors: Michael J. Hamer, Maria Petrou, Anastaslos Kesidis
  • Patent number: 6243483
    Abstract: Pipeline data and satellite data are used to provide surveillance for a pipeline. The satellite data is integrated with the pipeline data to produce a current pipeline map. The current pipeline map is then compared with a previous pipeline map to determine whether the route of the pipeline or a surrounding environment of the pipeline has changed. The satellite data includes very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery and the pipeline data includes location data that is a series of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: PII North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Maria Petrou, Andy J. Fraser, Brian Hewitt, Alan Tuck