Network biology connects the dots for human health
Networks form the backbone of transportation infrastructure, communication systems, and even the neurons in our brains. When computational scientists map data points into networks—quite literally connecting the dots—the patterns they reveal can provide significant insights.
In network biology, computational and biological scientists collaborate to find the patterns in abundant and complex molecular and biomedical data. They use graph algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to model biological mechanisms, including those underlying cancer and aging.
“Similar to a car manual, networks show you the relationship between the parts,” said Tijana Milenkovic, network biology expert and Frank M. Freimann Collegiate Professor of Engineering in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame.
“You see how each part of a biological system—gene, protein, neuron—contributes to the system’s overall performance and what happens if a part fails or is removed.”
In a paper published in Bioinformatics Advances, Milenkovic and 36 other researchers from over 25 universities and labs chart a comprehensive roadmap for network biology’s current state and future directions.
Networks allow researchers to represent biological systems as interconnected entities rather than collections of individual components. Biomolecules, such as DNA, amino acids, or proteins, are represented as points on a network while the links between the points indicate their interactions—physical, functional, or chemical.
Network biology promises to move medicine beyond its current one-size-fits-all approach. Instead of giving the same treatment to all patients with the same disease, treatments could be tailored to each individual’s unique molecular profile.
Also, networks show how a drug interacts with multiple biological targets, thereby revealing the ways in which a drug previously used to treat one condition might have the potential to treat another.
The paper, which originated from an NSF-funded workshop at Notre Dame, identifies five prominent research subfields within network biology: inference and comparison of biological networks, multimodal data integration and heterogeneous networks, higher-order network analysis, machine learning on networks, and network-based personalized medicine.
Milenkovic noted that, despite numerous advances, challenges remain in the field, such as enhanced data generation, developing novel algorithms, refining evaluation frameworks, and a wider adoption of innovations.
“The goal is not just to predict likely interactions between biomolecules or identify interesting patterns in complex data,” said Milenkovic. “We want to help explain the underlying biological mechanisms that yield these patterns.”
Latest Research
- Notre Dame theologian to receive 2024 Ratzinger Prize from VaticanCyril O’Regan, the Catherine F. Huisking Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected to receive the 2024 Ratzinger Prize in Theology, widely regarded as the most prestigious award in the field. Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, will present the award to O’Regan and to sculptor Etsurō Sotoo during a ceremony at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Nov. 22. Both winners will also have an audience with Pope Francis earlier that day.
- Four First-Year Students Named 2024-25 Murphy Fellows at Notre Dame Law SchoolNotre Dame Law School has announced the selection of four first-year law students—David Jordan, Maddie Kosobucki, Catherine Kolesar, and Jack McEnery—as the 2024-25 Murphy Fellows. Established in 2022, the Murphy Fellowship supports students who are interested in exploring the intersection of law…
- ND Expert Sean Kassen: Statement on first FDA-approved treatment for Niemann-Pick Type C diseaseToday, the FDA announced the first approved treatment for Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease: an oral medication named Miplyffa (arimoclomol). Sean Kassen, director of the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund at the University of Notre Dame, said this represents the beginning of a new and hopeful era for NPC families.
- What Would You Fight For: Notre Dame psychologists combating America's mental health crisisAustin Wyman ’23 was young when the mental health crisis hit home. A struggling family member reached out to a provider for help, but with no immediately available appointments, the relative soon had a mental health episode. The situation ended in the death of two of Wyman’s family members, and left…
- Notre Dame to host conference on St. Thomas Aquinas, commemorating 800th anniversary of his birthTo commemorate the 800th anniversary of his birth, the University of Notre Dame will host a conference Sunday through Wednesday (Sept. 22-25) celebrating Aquinas’ enduring importance to contemporary cultural, philosophical and theological discussions. “Aquinas at 800: ‘Ad multos annos’” will be the largest conference of its kind, with more than 500 in-person attendees and more than 150 speakers.
- From Italy to South Sudan and back again: MGA graduate aims for peace through shuttle diplomacySince she first began working for the Rome-based Community of Sant’Egidio as an intern in 2021, Elizabeth Boyle MGA ’23 has boarded more flights to Juba, South Sudan than she has to her Long Island hometown in the United States. As an international relations officer for …