Patent ID: 8364665

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of integrating expression-based data into a knowledge base stored on one or more storage devices, knowledge base comprising at least one pre-existing bi-directional feature set, each bi-directional feature set comprising a list of a plurality of features and, for at least some of the listed features, up or down expression information relative to a control sample or normal state, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a bi-directional input feature set comprising a list of a plurality of features and, for at least some of the listed features, up or down regulation expression information of the feature relative to a control sample or normal state; and automatically correlating by one or more processors of a computer system the input feature set with a plurality or all other pre-existing bi-directional feature sets; wherein automatically correlating the input feature set with a bi-directional pre-existing feature set comprises determining by the one or more processors multiple individual correlation scores and, from the multiple individual correlation scores, determining by the one or more processors an overall correlation score and a correlation direction, wherein an up regulation expression information indicates a positive correlation score between the input feature set and the pre-existing feature set, a down regulation expression information indicates a negative correlation score between the input feature set and the pre-existing feature set, and wherein the input feature set and the pre-existing feature sets are selected from the group consisting of differential expression of said features, responses of said features to a treatment or stimulus, and effects of said features on biological systems.