The power of Boolean implication networks

Abstract

Human diseases have been investigated in the context of single genes as well as complex networks of genes. Though single gene approaches have been extremely successful in the past, most human diseases are complex and better characterized by multiple interacting genes commonly known as networks or pathways. With the advent of high-throughput technologies, a recent trend has been to apply network-based analysis to the huge amount of biological data. Analysis on Boolean implication network is one such technique that distinguishes itself based on its simplicity and robustness. Unlike traditional analyses, Boolean implication networks have the power to break into the mechanistic insights of human diseases. A Boolean implication network is a collection of simple Boolean relationships such as "if A is high then B is low." So far, Boolean implication networks have been employed not only to discover novel markers of differentiation in both normal and cancer tissues, but also to develop robust treatment decisions for cancer patients. Therefore, analyses based on Boolean implication networks have potential to accelerate discoveries in human diseases, suggest therapeutics, and provide robust risk-adapted clinical strategies. © 2012 Sahoo.