Predisposition modification
A method and system for predisposition modification are presented in which a set of attributes for selective modification of the attribute profile of an individual are determined to enable the individual to modify their predisposition for acquiring an attribute of interest. The attribute of interest can be input in the form of a query attribute along with a minimum strength of association value which serves as a threshold to ensure that the results will provide at least a minimum degree of statistical certainty that the individual will acquire the attribute of interest upon modifying their attribute profile.
1. A computer based method for determining a set of modifiable non-pangenetic attributes for altering a predisposition of an individual to a condition comprising:
a) receiving a condition query describing the condition which identifies, within a computer memory, a set of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles associated with query-attribute-positive individuals having the condition and a set of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles associated with query-attribute-negative individuals not having the condition, wherein the query-attribute-positive attribute profiles and query-attribute-negative attribute profiles contain pangenetic and non-pangenetic attributes;
b) accessing the pangenetic and non-pangenetic attributes of the individual;
c) selecting a subset of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles from the set of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles wherein the subset of query-attribute-positive profiles has a statistically significant overlap with the pangenetic and non-pangenetic attributes of the individual, wherein the statistically significant overlap is determined with respect to a first threshold;
d) selecting a subset of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles from the set of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles, wherein the subset of query-attribute negative profiles has statistically significant overlap with the pangenetic attributes of the individual, wherein the statistically significant overlap is determined with respect to a second threshold;
e) determining a set of candidate attributes comprising non-pangenetic attributes from the query-attribute-positive attribute profiles that do not occur in statistically significant portion of the subset of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles, but which occur in a statistically significant portion of the subset of query-attribute-positive profiles, wherein the statistically significant portion is determined with respect to a third threshold;
f) determining a set of modifiable non-pangenetic attributes derived from the set of candidate attributes, wherein removal of at least one those attributes from the query-attribute-positive profiles results in a statistically significant altered probability of the individual having the condition, wherein the statistically significant altered probability is determined with respect to a forth threshold; and
g) transmitting the set of modifiable non-pangenetic attributes as a recommendation for predisposition modification in the individual.
2. The computer based method of claim 1 , wherein the non-pangenetic attributes include at least one behavior.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the condition is a disease.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the altered probability is a decreased susceptibility to the disease.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the altered probability is a decreased susceptibility to the condition.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the altered probability is an increased susceptibility to the condition.
7. The computer based method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the set of modifiable non-pangenetic attributes in f) includes ranking the modifiable non-pangenetic attributes according to an impact of the modifiable non-pangenetic attributes on a probability of the individual having the condition.
8. The computer based method of claim 1 , wherein the identity of the subject is masked or anonymized.
9. A computer based system for modification of a predisposition of an individual to a condition, comprising:
a) a data receiving subsystem for receiving a query condition representing the condition and an individual identifier representing the individual;
b) a first data accessing subsystem for accessing, within a computer memory, a set of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles associated with query-attribute-positive individuals, a set of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles associated with query-attribute-negative individuals, and an attribute profile associated with the individual, wherein the attribute profiles contain pangenetic and non-pangenetic attributes;
c) a first data processing subsystem comprising:
i) a data selection subsystem for selecting a first subset of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles from the set of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles wherein the pangenetic and non-pangenetic attribute profiles of the query-attribute-positive individuals have a statistically significant overlap with the attribute profile of the individual, wherein the statistically significant overlap is determined with respect to a first threshold and, selecting a second subset of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles from the set of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles wherein the pangenetic portion of the profiles of the query-attribute-negative individuals have a statistically significant overlap with the pangenetic portion of the attribute profile of the individual, wherein the statistically significant overlap is determined with respect to a second threshold;
ii) a first data comparison subsystem for determining a set of candidate attributes comprising non-pangenetic attributes from the first subset of query-attribute-positive attribute profiles that do not occur in a statistically significant percentage of the second subset of query-attribute-negative attribute profiles, wherein the statistically significant percentage is determined with respect to a third threshold;
d) a first data storage subsystem for storing, within a computer memory, at least a portion of the set of candidate attributes comprising non-pangenetic attributes as modifiable attributes which when modified by the individual will result in an altered probability of having the condition.
10. The computer based system of claim 9 , wherein the first data comparison subsystem is also configured to determine a relative impact of modification of individual candidate attributes on a probability of the individual having the condition.
11. The computer based system of claim 10 , further comprising:
e) a transmission system for transmitting the modifiable attributes as a set of non-pangenetic attributes which when modified by the individual, will result in an altered probability of having the condition.
12. The computer based system of claim 9 , wherein the first data comparison subsystem is also configured to rank the candidate attributes in terms of an impact of the modifiable non-pangenetic attributes on modifying a probability of the individual having the condition.
13. The computer based system of claim 12 , further comprising:
e) a transmission system for transmitting the modifiable attributes as a set of non-pangenetic attributes which when modified by the individual, will result in an altered probability of having the condition.
14. The computer based system of claim 9 , further comprising:
e) a transmission system for transmitting the modifiable attributes as a set of non-pangenetic attributes which when modified by the individual, will result in an altered probability of having the condition.