Method and Apparatus for Correlation Analysis of Electrophoretic Protein Patterns

Werner Van Belle^1* - werner@yellowcouch.org, werner.van.belle@gmail.com
Bjørn Tore Gjertsen² - bjorn.gjertsen@med.uib.no
Rebecca Katherine³

1- Bioinformatics Group Norut IT; Research Park; 9294 Tromsø; Norway
2- Department of Internal Medicine Hematology Section Haukeland University Hospital; Bergen; Norway
3- Frank B. Dehn & Co; St. Bride's House London EC4Y 8JD; Great Brittain
* Corresponding author

Abstract :  A technique I used to analyze 2DE gels is currently being patented by TTO Nord AS (Technology Transfer Office). The patent application is filed in Great Brittain with application number GB0604906.8. This patent should never have been filed because: a) it is a mathematical technique b) there is no 'innovative step' involved (correlation is not new) c) one of the claims is completely for free without any evidence supporting a predicitve possibibilty and d) the patent content has been presented at many public fora before it was filed. The current description goes as follows: (EN) A method of obtaining clinical information about a cancer patient by analysing p53 in a sample taken from said patient. It comprises the steps of: a) providing an electrophoresis gelimage containing spatially resolved data indicative of the concentration of one or more p53 isoforms in said sample; b) providing a set of previously acquired correlation data that represents the correlation between a plurality of pixels in the type of image in step a) and the clinical information of interest; and b) using the correlation data to obtain said clinical information from the image. The invention also enables such correlation data to be used to predict a value for a clinical parameter from a gel image. (FR): L'invention concerne un procédé d'obtention d'informations cliniques concernant un patient cancéreux par analyse du gène p53 dans un échantillon prélevé sur ledit patient. Le procédé comprend les étapes consistant à : a) mettre à disposition une image d'un gel d'électrophorèse contenant des données à résolution spatiale représentant la concentration d'une ou de plusieurs isoformes du gène p53 dans ledit échantillon; b) mettre à disposition un groupe de données de corrélation préalablement acquises représentant la corrélation entre une pluralité de pixels dans le type d'image créée à l'étape a) et les informations cliniques d'intérêt; et c) utiliser les données de corrélation pour obtenir lesdites informations cliniques à partir de l'image. L'invention permet également d'utiliser ces données de corrélation pour prévoir la valeur d'un paramètre clinique à partir d'une image du gel.

Keywords:  2d correlation analysis
Reference:  Werner Van Belle, Bjørn Tore Gjertsen, Rebecca Katherine; Method and Apparatus for Correlation Analysis of Electrophoretic Protein Patterns; Submitted as a patent application; Editor(s) Frank B. Dehn; April 2006
Files: iasr.pdf, WO2007104951A2.pdf