The myImageAnalysis project: a web-based application for high-content screening.

A major challenge faced by screening centers developing image-based assays is the wide range of assays needed compared to the limited resources that are available to effectively analyze and manage them. To overcome this limitation, we have developed the web-based myImageAnalysis (mIA) application, integrated with an open database connectivity compliant database and powered by Pipeline Pilot (PLP) that incorporates dataset tracking, scheduling and archiving, image analysis, and data reporting. For system administrators, mIA provides automated methods for managing and archiving data. For the biologist, this application allows those without any programming or image analysis experience to quickly develop, validate, and share results of complex image-based assays. Further, the structure of the application within PLP allows those with experience in PLP programming to easily add additional analysis tools as required. The tools within mIA allow users to assess basic (cell count, protein per cell, protein subcellular localization) and more advanced (engineered cell lines analysis, cell toxicity) biological image-based assays that employ advanced statistics and provides key assay performance metrics.