Leverage Large-Scale Biological Networks to Decipher the Genetic Basis of Human Diseases Using Machine Learning

A fundamental question in precision medicine is to quantitatively decode the genetic basis of complex human diseases, which will enable the development of predictive models of disease risks based on personal genome sequences. To account for the complex systems within different cellular contexts, large-scale regulatory networks are critical components to be integrated into the analysis. Based on the fast accumulation of multiomics and disease genetics data, advanced machine learning algorithms and efficient computational tools are becoming the driving force in predicting phenotypes from genotypes, identifying potential causal genetic variants, and revealing disease mechanisms. Here, we review the state-of-the-art methods for this topic and describe a computational pipeline that assembles a series of algorithms together to achieve improved disease genetics prediction through the delineation of regulatory circuitry step by step.