[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.


CONCLUSIONS
MDR method could be used for detecting gene-gene interactions in genetic case-control studies as having great advantages versus the conventional statistical approaches.
Tang
Xun
X
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
Li
Na
N
Hu
Yong-hua
YH
D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012984:Software