[The application of multifactor dimensionality reduction for detecting gene-gene interactions].

OBJECTIVE

To introduce the application of Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) method for detecting gene-gene interactions in genetic case-control studies.

METHODS

A brief overview on basic steps involved in the implementation, theoretical details, available software as well as the use and features of the MDR method were discussed based on a practical research case.

RESULTS

Advantages of MDR were compared to the conventional statistical approaches, showing that MDR method was a novel, nonparametric, genetic model-free approach that was developed specifically for detecting gene-gene interactions. Theoretical and empirical studies suggested that MDR was having reasonable power for detecting gene-gene interactions. Applications of MDR method had found the evidence of gene-gene interactions in several diseases such as sporadic breast cancer, atrial fibrillation and essential hypertension.

CONCLUSION

MDR method could be used for detecting gene-gene interactions in genetic case-control studies as having great advantages versus the conventional statistical approaches.