Network-based drug discovery by integrating systems biology and computational technologies

Abstract

Network-based intervention has been a trend of curing systemic diseases, but it relies on regimen optimization and valid multi-target actions of the drugs. The complex multi-component nature of medicinal herbs may serve as valuable resources for network-based multi-target drug discovery due to its potential treatment effects by synergy. Recently, robustness of multiple systems biology platforms shows powerful to uncover molecular mechanisms and connections between the drugs and their targeting dynamic network. However, optimization methods of drug combination are insufficient, owning to lacking of tighter integration across multiple ‘-omics’ databases. The newly developed algorithm- or network-based computational models can tightly integrate ‘-omics’ databases and optimize combinational regimens of drug development, which encourage using medicinal herbs to develop into new wave of network-based multi-target drugs. However, challenges on further integration across the databases of medicinal herbs with multiple system biology platforms for multi-target drug optimization remain to the uncertain reliability of individual data sets, width and depth and degree of standardization of herbal medicine. Standardization of the methodology and terminology of multiple system biology and herbal database would facilitate the integration. Enhance public accessible databases and the number of research using system biology platform on herbal medicine would be helpful. Further integration across various ‘-omics’ platforms and computational tools would accelerate development of network-based drug discovery and network medicine.

The Predicted Proteomic Network Associated with the Antiarthritic Action of Qingfu Guanjieshu in Collagen-II-Induced Arthritis in Rats

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Review: Chinese herbs as alternatives to antibiotics in feed for swine and poultry production: Potential and challenges in application

“…In recent years, the development of information-rich ''-omics'' techniques, for example genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics, has provided an opportunity to simultaneously analyze a large number of genes/targets associated with dietary interventions in humans and animals (Ulrich-Merzenich et al 2007; El-Mowafy 2012; Leung et al 2012). Such technologies have also been applied to determine the multi-target action of TCM in humans and animals (Wang et al 2010a, b).…”

Novel multifunctional pharmacology of lobinaline, the major alkaloid from Lobelia cardinalis

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