Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42017313›Full record

ArticleTranslational vision science & technology2026

RetinaDetachNet: Automated Deep Learning Quantification of Photoreceptor Cell Death for Neuroprotection Studies in Experimental Retinal Detachment.

Konstantinos G Baroutis, Hani El Helwe, Kaho Yamamoto, Maria Anna Bantounou, Irini Chatziralli, Ilias Georgalas, Panagiotis Theodossiadis, Yusuke Murakami, Joan W Miller, Demetrios G Vavvas

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Article in Translational vision science & technology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Konstantinos G BaroutisDepartment of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Ines and Frederick Yeatts Lab in Retina Research, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Hani El HelweDepartment of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Ines and Frederick Yeatts Lab in Retina Research, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Kaho YamamotoDepartment of Ophthalmology, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
Maria Anna BantounouDepartment of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Ines and Frederick Yeatts Lab in Retina Research, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Irini ChatziralliDepartment of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Ilias GeorgalasDepartment of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Panagiotis TheodossiadisDepartment of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Yusuke MurakamiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
Joan W MillerDepartment of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Ines and Frederick Yeatts Lab in Retina Research, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Demetrios G VavvasDepartment of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Ines and Frederick Yeatts Lab in Retina Research, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To develop and validate RetinaDetachNet, to our knowledge, the first validated deep learning pipeline for automated quantification of TUNEL-positive cells in experimental retinal detachment models. Methods: RetinaDetachNet combines a custom-trained U-Net for outer nuclear layer (ONL) segmentation with a hybrid approach for TUNEL-positive cell detection. StarDist provides initial nucleus segmentation; candidates are retained only if they satisfy area criteria and overlap sufficiently with Otsu-thresholded binary masks. Validation involved three independent datasets with temporal and institutional separation: primary (n = 50 images), historical (∼10 years prior; n = 50), and external (independent laboratory; n = 40). Agreement with manual counts (experienced and inexperienced observers) was assessed via Spearman correlation (5000 bootstrap iterations) and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: The U-Net achieved a Dice coefficient of 0.93 for ONL segmentation. RetinaDetachNet showed strong correlation with manual counting: Dataset 1, ρ = 0.87 (experienced) and ρ = 0.80 (inexperienced); Dataset 2, ρ = 0.98 (surpassing inter-observer ρ = 0.94); Dataset 3, ρ = 0.86 following calibration to local imaging parameters. The hybrid method outperformed StarDist-only (ρ = 0.70-0.84) and Otsu-only (ρ = 0.33-0.90) approaches across datasets. Bland-Altman analysis indicated minimal systematic bias. Conclusions: To our knowledge, RetinaDetachNet is the first validated deep learning pipeline for TUNEL-positive cell quantification in retinal detachment, delivering superior accuracy and reproducibility via its hybrid dual-validation architecture. Translational Relevance: This open-source tool, freely available on GitHub, enables standardized, observer-independent quantification of photoreceptor cell death in preclinical neuroprotection studies, reducing analysis time from hours to minutes and accelerating evaluation of candidate therapeutics.

Indexed as

Deep LearningNeuroprotectionPhotoreceptor Cells, VertebrateRetinal DetachmentAnimalsCell DeathDisease Models, AnimalImage Processing, Computer-AssistedIn Situ Nick-End LabelingReproducibility of Results

Identifiers

PMID42017313
PMCPMC13107991

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.