[Module-based analysis: deciphering pathological and pharmacological mechanisms of complex diseases and multi-target...

A complex disease is rarely a consequence of abnormality in a single gene. It is known that many drugs exhibit a therapeutic effect by acting on multiple targets, produce synergies to intervene the occurrence and development of diseases. Unlike the traditional methods which act on single molecule or pathway, this disease-drug target network constructed with high throughput data vividly showed the complex relationship between drugs, their targets and diseases. However, the networks are usually extremely complex. In order to reduce the complexity, it is necessary to deconstruct the network and identify module structures. In this study, framework of module analysis was summarized from four aspects: module concept, structure and identification methods, importance of disease-drug module identification, and its application. Module-based analysis provides a new perspective for deciphering the drug intervention mechanisms for complex diseases, and provides new ideas and pathways to reveal the mechanisms of multi-target and multi-component drugs.