Associating somatic gene mutations in glycophorin a with complex multifactorial diseases

A method for diagnosis of a complex multifactorial disease in a patient, comprising:

• (a) labeling alleles, expressed on surfaces of sample erythrocyte cells removed from the patient, by contacting the blood samples with antibodies bindable to the expressed alleles, the antibodies associated with a machine detectable marker;
• (b) obtaining patient mutation data corresponding to detecting mutation of the alleles, by quantifying at least one of allele loss and allele loss and duplication events, by measuring the presence of the marker using a machine configured for detecting the presence of the marker associated with the antibodies that have bound to the sample erythrocyte cells;
• and
• (c) comparing the patient mutation data with known mutation data obtained using steps (a) and (b), but using erythrocyte cells removed from patients having a known complex multifactorial disease, to diagnose the known complex multifactorial disease in the patient.

A method for diagnosis of a complex multifactorial disease in a patient, comprising:

• (a) labeling M alleles and N alleles, expressed on surfaces of sample erythrocyte cells removed from the patient, by contacting the blood samples with anti-M antibodies and anti-N antibodies, the anti-M and anti-N antibodies each associated with a fluorophore;
• (b) obtaining patient mutation data corresponding to detecting genetic or epigenetic mutation by quantifying at least one of allele loss and allele loss and duplication events by measuring the presence of the marker using a flow cytometer configured for detecting the presence of the one or more markers associated with M-antibodies and N-antibodies that have reacted with the sample erythrocyte cells;
• and
• (c) comparing the patient mutation data with known mutation data obtained using steps (a) and (b), but using erythrocyte cells removed from patients having a known complex multifactorial disease, to diagnose the known complex multifactorial disease in the patient.