Reagents, devices and methods for proteomic analysis with applications including diagnostics, vaccines, quality control and research

摘要

The invention describes methods for proteomic analysis involving the mapping of samples in N-dimensional shape space. The applications include the classification of samples on the basis of the three-dimensional shapes of substances they contain. A panel of P (1) reagents, with P≧N, called X(j), with j=1 to P, is used. The binding strength of each of the X(j) reagents to each other is a P×P matrix. This matrix is used to define another set of P reagents called Y(j), with j=1 to P, each of which is a linear combination of the X(j) reagents and each of which is complementary to one of the X(j) reagents. N of the X(j) reagents together with the corresponding Y(j) reagents are used to define a shape space that has N approximately orthogonal axes. The definition of these axes facilitates classification of samples. Methods for measuring similarity between pairs of samples and between sets of samples in the context of the set of N reagent pairs X(j) and Y(j) with j=1 to N are described. Applications include classification of samples, quality control, methods of diagnosis, and formulation of vaccines.