An alternative approach to deal with geometric uncertainties in computer analysis of two-dimensional electrophoresis gels

With the growing importance of proteomics in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences a need has emerged for computing tools that are capable of digital ly visualizing and analyzing protein spot patterns within two-dimensional e lectrophoresis (2-DE) gel. Matching programs need to meet requirements such as interlaboratory comparison and the comparison of samples from different origins. For such research purposes, we have developed the CAROL system th at implements new algorithms for spot detection and matching, which enable researchers to take a different approach to protein spot identification and comparison. The present short communication discusses how the system deals with uncertain geometric spot information that arises from streaks and com plex spot regions and how this can be amplified for the matching procedure.