Identification of Common Biological Pathways and Drug Targets Across Multiple Respiratory Viruses Based on Human Host Gene Expression Analysis

Smith, Steven B.; Dampier, William; Tozeren, Aydin; Brown, James R.; Magid-Slav, Michal

Dataset candidacy filtering consisted of four criteria: 1) the dataset must contain at least 3 samples per treatment or control group because a sample size any less would mean a loss in statistical power for subsequent analysis; 2) the microarray platform must be supported by either Affymetrix, Agilent or Illumina due to probe mapping abilities of the software used in subsequent analysis; 3) each gene expression profile had to be derived from human cells and probed using a human-based genome microarray platform and not other species; and 4) the dataset must contain at least one wild-type infection treatment group (i.e., unmodified virus strain or infectivity mechanism) and at least one healthy control group (i.e., no genetic or media modifications such as gene knock outs or inhibitors, respectively).