Patent ID: 7567870

Claim:
A method of determining a comparative expression profile in an individual, comprising: (a) creating a multidimensional space of n dimensions, wherein n represents the number of molecules being analyzed in a specimen from each individual in a population of reference individuals and wherein said multidimensional space contains n axes, each of said axes relating to the expression level of a molecule of said n molecules; (b) determining a multidimensional coordinate point for each individual in said population of reference individuals, wherein said multidimensional coordinate point is representative of the expression levels of said n molecules in the individual; (c) determining in said multidimensional space a health-associated reference expression region for said multidimensional coordinate points determined for said population of reference individuals; (d) contacting a specimen from an individual with a target; (e) determining the expression levels of a sample of n molecules in a population of molecules in said specimen from said individual; (f) determining a multidimensional coordinate point representative of the expression levels of said sample of n molecules in said specimen from said individual determined in step (e); (g) comparing said multidimensional coordinate point determined in step (f) to said health-associated reference expression region determined in step (c); (h) determining if said multidimensional coordinate point is within or outside said health-associated reference expression region, wherein said multidimensional coordinate point within said health-associated reference expression region indicates a reference expression profile and wherein said multidimensional coordinate point outside said health-associated reference expression region indicates a perturbed expression profile, wherein said perturbed expression profile indicates a disease state in said individual; and (i) providing an output of said expression profile determined in step (h) to a user.