Pathway-based Analysis Tools for Complex Diseases: A Review

• Published in: Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics
• Main Authors: Lv Jin, Xiao-Yu Zuo, Wei-Yang Su, Xiao-Lei Zhao, Man-Qiong Yuan, Li-Zhen Han, Xiang Zhao, Ye-Da Chen, Shao-Qi Rao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2014-10-01
• Subjects: Complex disease; Pathway-based analysis; Algorithms; Software and databases
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672022914001065

Genetic studies are traditionally based on single-gene analysis. The use of these analyses can pose tremendous challenges for elucidating complicated genetic interplays involved in complex human diseases. Modern pathway-based analysis provides a technique, which allows a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases. Extensive studies utilizing the methods and applications for pathway-based analysis have significantly advanced our capacity to explore large-scale omics data, which has rapidly accumulated in biomedical fields. This article is a comprehensive review of the pathway-based analysis methods—the powerful methods with the potential to uncover the biological depths of the complex diseases. The general concepts and procedures for the pathway-based analysis methods are introduced and then, a comprehensive review of the major approaches for this analysis is presented. In addition, a list of available pathway-based analysis software and databases is provided. Finally, future directions and challenges for the methodological development and applications of pathway-based analysis techniques are discussed. This review will provide a useful guide to dissect complex diseases.