Algorithm for spline-based elastic registration in application to confocal images of gene expression

We perform elastic registration by an algorithm based on a pixelwise and regularized optimization criterion. We express the deformation field thanks to B-splines, which allows us to deal with a rich variety of deformations. The algorithm is able to handle soft landmark constraints, which is particularly useful when parts of the images contain very little information, or when it is unevenly distributed. We solve the problem by minimizing the distance between the target image and the warped source. We regularize this minimization problem by divergence and curl. We apply the proposed algorithm to the registration of the confocal scanning microscopy images of Drosophila embryos. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2006.