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Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1568-0266
ISSN (Online): 1873-4294

Review Article

Analyzing of Molecular Networks for Human Diseases and Drug Discovery

Author(s): Tong Hao, Qian Wang, Lingxuan Zhao, Dan Wu, Edwin Wang* and Jinsheng Sun*

Volume 18, Issue 12, 2018

Page: [1007 - 1014] Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/1568026618666180813143408

open access plus

Abstract

Molecular networks represent the interactions and relations of genes/proteins, and also encode molecular mechanisms of biological processes, development and diseases. Among the molecular networks, protein-protein Interaction Networks (PINs) have become effective platforms for uncovering the molecular mechanisms of diseases and drug discovery. PINs have been constructed for various organisms and utilized to solve many biological problems. In human, most proteins present their complex functions by interactions with other proteins, and the sum of these interactions represents the human protein interactome. Especially in the research on human disease and drugs, as an emerging tool, the PIN provides a platform to systematically explore the molecular complexities of specific diseases and the references for drug design. In this review, we summarized the commonly used approaches to aid disease research and drug discovery with PINs, including the network topological analysis, identification of novel pathways, drug targets and sub-network biomarkers for diseases. With the development of bioinformatic techniques and biological networks, PINs will play an increasingly important role in human disease research and drug discovery.

Keywords: Protein-protein interaction network, Drug discovery, Network analysis, Sub-network biomarkers, Alzheimer`s disease, Multiple sclerosis.

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