The use of different types of networks, alone and in combination, for drug target identification
Paolo Parini · British Journal of Pharmacology · 2025
Current therapeutic approaches often focus on targeting clinical symptoms or peripheral phenotypes rather than the underlying molecular mechanisms, or endophenotypes, that drive diseases. While symptom-based drugs can alleviate discomfort, they do not necessarily alter disease progression and may overlook opportunities for prevention or early intervention in asymptomatic patients. This approach can lead to overtreatment of certain disease traits while neglecting others that are critical for long-term outcomes. In contrast, mechanism-based therapies offer advantages such as specificity and reduced side effects, allowing for the management of previously untreatable conditions or complementing established treatments. These therapies enable monitoring of drug effects on the endophenotype driving the disease, facilitating personalised treatment regimens and improving patient compliance. Mechanism-based drugs are essential for precision prevention and therapy. Network Medicine plays a vital role in understanding diseases by identifying key endophenotypes and determinants influencing disease expression. Unlike reductionist methods, it provides insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets by examining interactions among genetic, molecular and environmental factors. As part of Network Medicine, Network Pharmacology bridges the gap between symptom-based and mechanism-based strategies, guiding drug development while considering symptomatic relief. This short review focus on creating heterogeneous networks to integrate various drug, target and disease-related information. These approaches can create comprehensive representations of drugs and targets by incorporating diverse profiles, enhancing the prediction performance of drug target interactions. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue Network Medicine and Systems Pharmacology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v183.8/issuetoc.