RESEARCH
We work on algorithms and methods to analyse and interpret data from emerging spatial omics technologies that uncover both the molecular profiles and spatial context of cells in a tissue. There is pressing need for algorithms specifically designed for this type of data. Important problems include: image analysis and cell segmentation, spatially aware clustering of cell types, segmentation of tissues into spatial domains, cell-cell interactions, and many more. Our goal is to develop novel, relevant and scalable approaches using the latest machine-learning techniques, which will empower users of spatial omics technologies to extract useful biological insights from their data. We work closely with groups within GIS and A*STAR that are developing new spatial omics technologies and applying them to address a wide variety of biological and clinical problems.
We are currently hiring research officers. If you are interested, please contact us at email: Nigel_Chou@gis.a-star.edu.sg.
Selected Publications
- Goh, J.J.L.*, Chou, N.*, Seow, W.Y. et al. Highly specific multiplexed RNA imaging in tissues with split-FISH. Nat Methods 17, 689–693 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-020-0858-0
- Stevens, M. *, Maire, C. *, Chou, N.*, Murakami M.*, Knoff D., et al. Drug sensitivity of single cancer cells is predicted by changes in mass accumulation rate. Nat Biotechnol 34, 1161–1167 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.3697
- N. Chou, J. Wu, J. Bai Bingren, A. Qiu and K. Chuang, "Robust Automatic Rodent Brain Extraction Using 3-D Pulse-Coupled Neural Networks (PCNN)," in IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 2554-2564, Sept. 2011, doi: 10.1109/TIP.2011.2126587.
- N. Chou, J. A. Izatt and S. Farsiu, "Generalized pseudo-polar Fourier grids and applications in registering ophthalmic optical coherence tomography images," 2009 Conference Record of the Forty-Third Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, Pacific Grove, CA, 2009, pp. 807-811, doi: 10.1109/ACSSC.2009.5469972.