Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42664352›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

SpotMAX: A generalist framework for multidimensional automatic spot detection and quantification.

Francesco Padovani, Ivana Čavka, Ana Rita Rodrigues Neves, Cristina Piñeiro López, Nada Al-Refaie, Leonardo Bolcato, Dimitra Chatzitheodoridou, Yagya Chadha, Pablo Lagos, Timon Stegmaier and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Francesco PadovaniInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2540-8240
Ivana ČavkaCell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2640-8587
Ana Rita Rodrigues NevesCell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3591-4948
Cristina Piñeiro LópezCell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0293-4400
Nada Al-RefaieInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
Leonardo BolcatoInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
Dimitra ChatzitheodoridouInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
Yagya ChadhaInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4824-9935
Pablo LagosCell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0762-7802
Timon StegmaierInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0009-0003-6354-2667
Xiaofeng A SuDavid H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4960-6372
Jette LengefeldHelsinki Institute of Life Science, Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0001-6021-7613
Daphne S CabiancaInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1834-7868
Simone KöhlerCell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1119-8855
Kurt M SchmollerInstitute of Functional Epigenetics, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5790-5204

Funding

Enhancing and expanding the CGC Strain CollectionP40OD010440 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI Ann E. Rougvie · 2012 to 2026
$7.5M
NIH HHS P40 OD010440
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The analysis of spot-like structures is a widespread task in microscopy image analysis. Existing solutions are typically specific to single applications and do not use multidimensional information, often leaving manual annotation as the only option. Here, we present SpotMAX, a generalist AI-assisted framework for automated spot detection and quantification. SpotMAX detects spots in three-dimensional (3D) data and leverages the full scope of multidimensional datasets with an easy-to-use graphical user interface and a framework for cell segmentation and tracking. Tested on a large 3D dataset, SpotMAX outperforms or is on par with state-of-the-art tools and expert human annotators. We applied SpotMAX across diverse experimental questions, ranging from meiotic crossover events in

Indexed as

Image Processing, Computer-AssistedImaging, Three-DimensionalMicroscopySoftwareAlgorithmsAnimalsCaenorhabditis elegansDetection AlgorithmsDNA, MitochondrialHumansMiceSaccharomyces cerevisiaeDNA, Mitochondrial

Identifiers

PMID42664352
PMCPMC13524050

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.