Patent ID: 8478537

Claim:
A method of clustering a data set from a biological assay, said method comprising: a) obtaining a data set from a biological assay, wherein said data set comprises N measured values; b) sorting said data set from low (sample 1) to high (sample N) based on said measured values; c) selecting a set of cut-off points, wherein each of said cut-off points (k) is selected from sample 2 to sample N−2 of said data set; d) determining, using a computer, the best cut-off point from said set of cut-off points, comprising; i) for each cut-off point k, bisecting said data set into a first subset comprising samples 1 to k and a second subset comprising samples (k+1) to N; calculating the p-value of the measured values in said first and second subsets using a 2-tailed t-test; and calculating a modality score based on said p-value; and ii) determining the best cut-off point based on said modality score; e) clustering said samples into a first and second group at said best cut-off point if said modality score exceeds a threshold value; and f) providing the result of said clustering step (e) to a user in a user-readable format.