网络分析方法在疾病和药物研究中的应用

Application of network analysis in diseases and drug studies

大多数复杂疾病并非是由单个致病基因引起的,而是多个基因或其产物功能紊乱所致调控网络失衡的结果。而药物则是通过作用于疾病网络中的多个靶点,对各靶点的作用产生协同效应,从而对疾病的发生、发展进行干预,最终达到治疗效果。与作用于单个分子或通路的传统方法不同,高通量数据的网络分析方法从疾病和药物相关网络的构建、网络分解及亚网络生物学意义的确认3个层次提供了一个全新的视角,有助于更好地研究疾病病理和药物作用机制,为多组分多靶点的中药药理作用机制的研究提供了新思路。

A disease is rarely caused by a single virulence gene, but by an imbalanced regulatory network arising from dys- function of multiple genes or their products. However, drugs intervene the occurrence and development of a disease by acting on multi- ple target points in the disease network and making a synergy effect on each target point, in order to achieve the therapeutic effect. Un- like traditional approaches focusing on a single molecule or pathway, network analysis with high-throughput data provides a new per- spective for studying disease pathobiology and pharmacological mechanisms, and brings forth new ideas for muhi-component and multi- target-point pharmacologic mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicines, in three aspects--establishment of relevant disease and drug network, network decomposition, and biological significant of sub-network.