A robust algorithm for ratio estimation in two-color microarray experiments.

The reliability of the algorithms for ratio estimation in two-color microarray image analysis is very important, as these ratios build up the primary source of information for the subsequent analytical procedures (normalization, clustering, classification, etc). Although various algorithms already exist, there is still a need to develop procedures having higher levels of accuracy and robustness. We present a statistical procedure for the detection and removal of aberrant pixels in two-color microarray images. It is based on a linear regression approach, assuming reasonably high level of correlation between the two color channels. This procedure ensures more robust ratio estimation for the spots in both linear regression and traditional segmentation algorithms. The developed algorithms have been evaluated using simulated artificial images and experimental images of different designs. A demonstration version of the software can be downloaded from http://bioinfo.curie.fr/projects/maia/.