[BioC] Re: [S] Error in clustering procedure

[James W. MacDonald]

cstrato wrote:

> Sorry, but I cannot resist:
> 
> Any comments of the microarry community on the usefulness of
> hierarchical clustering of 7000 genes?
> 

I think this would be almost completely useless. First off, clustering 
is not an inferential technique, so its use has been completely oversold 
IMO to the biological community. Secondly, clustering is usually done to 
produce a 'heat map' to put in a paper or flash on the screen during a 
presentation. How on earth would this be of any use? You couldn't even 
read any of the gene names!

Of course you could use the heatmap to impress friends and colleagues 
with the fact that you rate a computer powerful enough to *do* a heatmap 
with a 7000 x 5 matrix ;-D

Jim




> Best regards
> Christian
> -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
> C.h.r.i.s.t.i.a.n. .S.t.r.a.t.o.w.a
> V.i.e.n.n.a.         .A.u.s.t.r.i.a
> -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


-- 
James W. MacDonald
Affymetrix and cDNA Microarray Core
University of Michigan Cancer Center
1500 E. Medical Center Drive
7410 CCGC
Ann Arbor MI 48109