SpeChrOmics: A Biomarker Characterization Framework for Medical Hyperspectral Imaging

Ajibola Oladokun, Bessie Malila, Víctor M. Campello, Muki Shey, Tinashe E. M. Mutsvangwa

Abstract: We propose SpeChrOmics, a characterization framework for generating potential biomarkers of pathologies from hyperspectral images of body tissue. We test our model using a novel clinical application – hyperspectral imaging for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This is a neglected disease state predominantly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Our model identified water, deoxyhemoglobin, and pheomelanin as potential chromophore biomarkers for LTBI with mean cross validation accuracy of 96%. Our framework can potentially be used for pathology characterization in other medical applications.