Patent Document ID: 8594942
Application ID: 11192804
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A computational method for analyzing biological data to identify components that are related to a perturbation, the method comprising: a) loading a reference graph from a reference data source, wherein the paths of the graph are associated with metabolic, regulatory, or signaling pathway network regions; b) associating experimental data collected from an experiment relating to at least one of a metabolic pathway, a regulatory pathway, and a signaling pathway with representative features of the graph, wherein each feature corresponds to a single node of the graph or a single edge of the graph; c) selecting at least one perturbed feature to be analyzed, wherein a perturbed feature comprises a feature having a plurality of experimental data values associated with that feature, wherein the experimental data values associated with, that feature have changed in a statistically significant way relative to a baseline value associated with that feature and wherein the experimental data values associated with that feature exhibit a mathematical trend with respect to an independent variable of the experimental data; d) defining a predetermined search depth value; e) searching for an at least second perturbed feature along each network path emanating from the selected at least one perturbed feature, wherein the search parameters do not exceed the predetermined search depth value; f) identifying all at least second perturbed features encountered in the search; g) repeating the search of step (e) for an at least third perturbed feature along each path emanating from the at least second perturbed feature, wherein the search parameters do not exceed the predetermined search depth value; h) repeating the identification of step (f) for the at least third perturbed features; i) repeating the search of step (g) and the identification of step (h) for each perturbed feature until no more perturbed features are found within the predetermined search depth value as measured from each perturbed feature; and j) displaying to a user the graph so as to demarcate all perturbed features of the graph to distinguish them from unperturbed features of the graph, wherein all of steps a) through j) inclusive are performed by a suitably-programmed computer.