Diseases as network perturbations

Abstract

The tremendous amount of the data obtained from the study of complex biological systems changes our view on the pathogenesis of human diseases. Instead of looking at individual components of biological processes, we focus our attention more on the interaction and dynamics of biological systems. A network representation and analysis of the physiology and pathophysiology of biological systems is an effective way to study their complex behavior. Specific perturbations can trigger cascades of failures, which lead to the malfunctioning of cellular networks and as a result to the development of specific diseases. In this review we discuss recent developments in the field of disease network analysis and highlight some of the topics and views that we think are important for understanding network-based disease mechanisms.