Approved Research

Revealing hidden patterns in laboratory blood tests

Lay summary

Blood test measurements reflect the individual health status. Usually, each lab test is evaluated separately, using its corresponding normal reference range. However, different lab test values are connected - think for example on white blood cell subset percentages, which naturally tradeoff between them. Another example is the inverse relation between effector hormones (for example thyroid hormones T4 and T3) and their regulating hormones (for example thyroid stimulating hormone TSH), due to a negative feedback loop that keeps these hormones at their right levels. Since lab test values are the result of interdependent, overlapping physiological mechanisms, there are probably other more complex relations, that are harder to recognize in a simple inspection. In this research, we would like to recognize the hidden, more complex relations between lab test values. Discovering such relations would be important since they hint to interactions between the underlying biological processes. Recognizing how these relations change in health and disease states can help in diagnosing health problems and in better understanding of their underlying causes.