Radiomic texture analysis of immunofluorescence images of lupus nephritis biopsies to predict patient progression to end-stage renal disease

Lupus nephritis (LuN) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic kidney inflammation, which can lead to loss of kidney function, known as end-stage renal disease. The cellular mechanisms causing this progression are not well-defined. Radiomic texture analysis was used to identify image features of biopsies from ESRD+ and ESRD- LuN patients. Each biopsy was stained with 6 markers to identify 5 cell classes in fluorescence confocal microscopy images. Image features associated with the CD20 stain (B lymphocytes), image summary metrics of mean and standard deviation, and 4 GLCM features were identified as most effective in classifying ESRD+/- biopsy images.