Apparatus, method and computer program product for determining confidence measures and combined confidence measures for assessing the quality of proteomic and genomic data

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for determining a confidence measure for the output of a process for assessing proteomic and genomic information samples. Typically, data is received as the results from a microarryi experiment. The confidence measure is intended to determine whether the results of the experiment have been degraded due to experimental error. Several criteria are used by which quality is determined. The criteria are preferably combined into a combined quality measure in order to account for several possible sources of error.

1 . An apparatus for determining a confidence measure for the output of a process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples, with the output represented as a set of signals, the system comprising:
 a memory for storing digital data, in the form of data points representing data samples generated from at least a portion of the signals in the set of signals;   a processor coupled with the memory for accessing the digital data therefrom, and for determining a confidence measure for each of at least a portion of the signals for which digital data is stored in the memory, the confidence measure being indicative of a confidence level in the quality of the output of the process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples; and   wherein each data point has an expected shape and an actual shape, and where a shape regularity confidence measure for the data point is determined based on a comparison of the actual shape with the expected shape.   
   
   
       2 . A method for determining a confidence measure for the output of a process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples, with the output represented as a set of signals, the method comprising:
 receiving digital data, in the form of data points representing data samples generated from at least a portion of the signals in the set of signals;   determining a confidence measure for each of at least a portion of the signals, the confidence measure being indicative of a confidence level in the quality of the output of the process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples; and   wherein each data point has an expected shape and an actual shape, and where a shape regularity confidence measure for the data point is determined based on a comparison of the actual shape with the expected shape.   
   
   
       3 . A computer program product for determining a confidence measure for the output of a process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples, with the output represented as a set of signals, the computer program product usable with a computer system including a processor, a memory coupled with the processor, an input coupled with the processor for receiving the set of signals, the computer program product comprising means, stored on a computer readable medium, for:
 receiving digital data, in the form of data points representing data samples, generated from at least a portion of the signals in the set of signals;   determining a confidence measure for each of at least a portion of the signals, the confidence measure being indicative of a confidence level in the quality of the output of the process for assessing proteomic and genomic data samples; and   wherein each data point has an expected shape and an actual shape, and where a shape regularity confidence measure for the data point is determined based on a comparison of the actual shape with the expected shape.