Adaptive Image Compression

Adaptive Image Compression by Protein Metrics is a high-performance image compression solution purpose-built for digital pathology and automated microscopy applications. Unlike JPEG, which was originally designed for consumer photography and suffers from block artifacts and ringing at sharp edges when applied to microscope imagery, this patented algorithm is specifically engineered to handle the demands of whole-slide and automated microscope imaging workflows.

The solution is designed for life sciences teams managing large volumes of brightfield or fluorescence microscopy images who need to balance image fidelity, storage costs, and processing speed. It addresses common pain points such as rising storage costs, slow file transfer, and the risk of losing critical diagnostic information through aggressive compression.

Compression Quality and Fidelity

• Patented algorithm specifically designed for automated microscope and whole-slide imagery
• Scales from completely lossless to very high compression ratios
• Produces no objectionable artifacts, avoiding the block artifacts and edge ringing associated with JPEG
• Applicable to both brightfield and fluorescence imaging modalities
• Enables faithful compression and decompression without sacrificing critical image detail

Speed and Performance

• Achieves approximately 1 GB per second throughput on a typical desktop Intel i7 4-core processor
• Runs at least 10x faster than standard compression approaches
• Multi-threaded and highly parallelized architecture for maximum efficiency
• Scalable to cloud environments for additional processing power

Workflow and Storage Benefits

• Enables fast transfer of large image files across teams and systems
• Supports compact archiving to reduce storage footprint
• Reduces costs associated with storage and data transfer
• Increases throughput when working with image files
• Opens up new ways of working with visual data by removing file size bottlenecks

Image Management Capabilities

• Helps streamline image workflows for teams managing images from multiple sources
• Addresses concerns around rising storage costs and the performance impact of large image files
• Mitigates the risk of losing critical information that can result from overly aggressive compression techniques

Adaptive Image Compression is available for evaluation via a free trial and can be deployed on standard desktop hardware or scaled to cloud infrastructure. Organizations looking to modernize their digital pathology image management workflows can contact Protein Metrics directly for a demo or to discuss deployment options.