Complex Networks in Health and Disease

Vulliard, Loan; Menche, Jörg

From protein interactions to signal transduction, from metabolism to the nervous system: Virtually all processes in health and disease rely on the careful orchestration of a large number of diverse individual components ranging from molecules to cells and entire organs. Networks provide a powerful framework for describing and understanding these complex systems in a wholistic fashion. They offer a unique combination of a highly intuitive, qualitative description, and a plethora of analytical, quantitative tools. Here we provide a brief introduction to the emerging field of network medicine. After an overview of the core concepts for connecting network characteristics to biological functions, we review commonly used networks, ranging from the molecular interaction networks that form the basis of all biological processes in the cell to the global transportation networks that govern the spread of global epidemics. Lastly, we highlight current conceptual and practical challenges.