A network approach to clinical intervention in neurodegenerative diseases

• Network medicine can reveal causative genes and mechanisms of disease.
• Network analysis provides a framework to identify and prioritize biomarkers.
• Network biology reveals shared underlying mechanisms of disease comorbidities.
• Shared comorbidity networks can identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Network biology has become a powerful tool to dissect the molecular mechanisms triggering neurodegeneration. Recent developments in network biology have led to the discovery of disease-causing genes, diagnostic biomarkers, and therapeutic targets for several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. Network-based approaches have provided the molecular rationale for the relationship among cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases, and have uncovered unexpected links between apparently unrelated diseases. Here, we summarize the recent advances in network biology to untangle the molecular underpinnings giving rise to the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases. We propose that network analysis provides a feasible and practical tool for identifying biologically meaningful biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for clinical intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.