White Paper: Allium Cepa Meristem Cell Analysis

Abstract

Cytogenetic evaluation is fundamental to genotoxicity testing, environmental monitoring, and toxicological research, with the Allium cepa root meristem assay serving as a widely accepted model due to its sensitivity and reliability. However, conventional analysis relies on manual microscopy, making the process labor-intensive, timeconsuming, and susceptible to subjective interpretation. To address these limitations, this study presents an AI-assisted image analysis platform designed to automate Allium cepa meristem cell evaluation. The system integrates digital microscopy with computational image processing to identify mitotic phases, detect nuclear abnormalities, visualize chromosomal features, and automatically calculate cytogenetic indices such as the mitotic index and phase distribution. Pilot analyses indicate a marked reduction in analysis time, improved scoring accuracy, and enhanced reproducibility compared to traditional methods. In addition to research applications, the platform supports education by simplifying cytogenetic interpretation for students and early-career researchers. This AI-driven approach modernizes classical cytogenetic assays, offering a standardized, efficient, and scalable solution for genotoxicity testing and cytology-based studies.