diff --git a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/Test/store.test.ts b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/Test/store.test.ts
index dc214b3dd..5ff6e27aa 100644
--- a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/Test/store.test.ts
+++ b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/Test/store.test.ts
@@ -151,12 +151,21 @@ describe('Phenotype Store', () => {
   });
 
   it('/removeSameTerms should prohibit selecting multiple times the same term', () => {
-    const selecteKeys = ['ONE-two-three (123)'];
-    const targetKeys = ['two-ONE-three (123)', 'five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'];
+    let selecteKeys = ['ONE-two-three (123)'];
+    let targetKeys = ['two-ONE-three (123)', 'five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'];
 
-    const res = removeSameTerms(selecteKeys, targetKeys);
-    expect(res.sort()).toEqual(
-      ['ONE-two-three (123)', 'five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'].sort(),
+    //not expected to change
+    const res_one = removeSameTerms(selecteKeys, targetKeys);
+    expect(res_one.sort()).toEqual(
+      ['two-ONE-three (123)', 'five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'].sort(),
+    );
+    selecteKeys = ['ONE-two-three (123)', 'two-ONE-three (123)'];
+    targetKeys = ['five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'];
+
+    //expected to add last item change
+    const res_two = removeSameTerms(selecteKeys, targetKeys);
+    expect(res_two.sort()).toEqual(
+      ['two-ONE-three (123)', 'five-six-seven (567)', 'one-zero-zero (100)'].sort(),
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/index.tsx b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/index.tsx
index b8152f1de..7af504e1e 100644
--- a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/index.tsx
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class OntologyModal extends React.Component<ModalProps, ModalState> {
                 return <Spinner className={'spinner'} size={'large'} />;
               }
               if (direction === 'left' && treeSource) {
-                const checkedKeys = [...selectedKeys, ...removeSameTerms(selectedKeys, targetKeys)];
+                const checkedKeys = [...removeSameTerms(selectedKeys, targetKeys)];
                 return (
                   <SelectionTree
                     dataSource={treeSource || []}
diff --git a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/store.ts b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/store.ts
index 3eaa59b7d..77b2bde84 100644
--- a/src/components/OntologyBrowser/store.ts
+++ b/src/components/OntologyBrowser/store.ts
@@ -26,24 +26,14 @@ const dotToUnderscore = (str: string) => str.replace('.', '__');
 
 const termRegex = new RegExp('[^-]+$');
 
-//pattern of term with escaped parentheses
-const termPattern = (term: string) => new RegExp(`.*${term?.replace(/(?=[()])/g, '\\')}$`);
-
 export const removeSameTerms = (selectedKeys: string[], targetKeys: string[]) => {
-  let updatedTargetKeys = targetKeys;
-
-  selectedKeys.forEach((t) => {
-    const match = t.match(termRegex);
-    if (match) {
-      const term = match.pop();
+  let allSelectedAndChecked = {};
 
-      if (term) {
-        const pattern = termPattern(term);
-        updatedTargetKeys = updatedTargetKeys.filter((t) => !pattern.test(t));
-      }
-    }
+  selectedKeys.concat(targetKeys).forEach((t) => {
+    allSelectedAndChecked = { ...allSelectedAndChecked, [`${t.match(termRegex)}`]: t };
   });
-  return [...updatedTargetKeys, ...selectedKeys];
+
+  return [...Object.values(allSelectedAndChecked)];
 };
 
 export const selectSameTerms = (selectedKeys: string[], tree: TreeNode[] | undefined) => {