An Algorithm to Detect Rare Cells

A new algorithm developed by Delhi-based researchers makes it easy to identify rare cells from a dataset comprising millions of cells can be hugely daunting. Now, it can find rare cells from a very large pool of cells in a matter of seconds.

The algorithm — Finder of Rare Entities (FiRE) — assigns a rareness score to each cell that is computed based on the gene expression profile of about twenty thousand genes. Cells having scores above a certain threshold are reported as rare cells. Besides being fast, initial studies show that the new algorithm has superior sensitivity and specificity compared ....