Biology subjects

Hardy, C. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Hardy, C. C..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Spoti-find: A novel, open-source void spot assay image analysis tool

The void spot assay (VSA) is a widely used, non-invasive method for evaluating urinary behavior in rodents, but existing analysis tools are limited in scope, throughput, or accessibility. We developed Spoti-find, a stand-alone, open-source VSA image analysis application that introduces novel, biologically meaningful metrics including void circularity, distance to paper edge, and volume-based binning into primary, micro-, and nanovoids. Designed with usability in mind, Spoti-find features a graphical interface that enables manual or semi-automated spot identification, adjustable thresholds, and streamlined data export without the need for coding expertise. We validated Spoti-find across diverse datasets, showing strong inter-user consistency, sensitivity to known phenotypes in aging and disease models, and accuracy in capturing novel parameters while demonstrating high agreement with existing tools. By capturing behavioral context and spatial morphology in voiding patterns, Spoti-find expands the interpretive power of VSA and provides a flexible, user-friendly platform for phenotyping urinary dysfunction in preclinical studies.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2021

A Cellular Reference Resource for the Mouse Urinary Bladder

The urinary bladder functions as a reservoir to store and extrude liquid bodily waste. Significant debate exists as to this tissues cellular composition and genes associated with their functions. We use a repertoire of cell profiling tools to comprehensively define and spatial resolve cell types. We characterize spatially validated, basal-to-luminal gene expression dynamics within the urothelium, the cellular source of most bladder cancers. We define three distinct populations of fibroblasts that spatially organize from the sub-urothelial layer through to the detrusor muscle, clarifying knowledge around these controversial interstitial cells, and associate increased fibroblasts with aging. We overcome challenges of profiling the detrusor muscle, absence from earlier single cell studies, to report on its transcriptome with many novel and neuronal-like features presumably associated with neuromuscular junctions. Our approach provides a blueprint for tissue atlas construction and the data provides the foundation for future studies of bladder function in health and disease.

genomics↗