Mathematical analysis for the estimation of changes in the level of gene expression
US6502039B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 31, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG16B25/00
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to a highly accurate and reproducible mathematically-based methodology for quantifying the levels of differential gene expression from microassay protocols. Specifically, the present invention provides a simple deductive approach, grounded in a Bayesian framework, to circumvent the heuristic-based limitation of previous methodologies. Rather than seeking a point-estimate of the fold-change of the level of gene expression, the present invention utilizes the derivation of mathematical formula to determine the a posteriori distribution of all the fold-changes of differential gene expression which may be inferred from the given measurements. From this a posteriori distribution the following information may be obtained: (i) an estimator for the fold-change of the level of gene expression; (ii) confidence limits for the fold-change, at any given confidence level; and (iii) a P-value for assessing the statistical significance of change. The present invention also possesses the advantage that fold-change estimates and confidence limits may even be assigned to signal pairs where both signals are zero or negative, without resorting to heuristic thresholds.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.