BioCAD: an information fusion platform for bio-network inference and analysis.
BACKGROUND
As systems biology has begun to draw growing attention, bio-network inference and analysis have become more and more important. Though there have been many efforts for bio-network inference, they are still far from practical applications due to too many false inferences and lack of comprehensible interpretation in the biological viewpoints. In order for applying to real problems, they should provide effective inference, reliable validation, rational elucidation, and sufficient extensibility to incorporate various relevant information sources.


RESULTS
We have been developing an information fusion software platform called BioCAD. It is utilizing both of local and global optimization for bio-network inference, text mining techniques for network validation and annotation, and Web services-based workflow techniques. In addition, it includes an effective technique to elucidate network edges by integrating various information sources. This paper presents the architecture of BioCAD and essential modules for bio-network inference and analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
BioCAD provides a convenient infrastructure for network inference and network analysis. It automates series of users' processes by providing data preprocessing tools for various formats of data. It also helps inferring more accurate and reliable bio-networks by providing network inference tools which utilize information from distinct sources. And it can be used to analyze and validate the inferred bio-networks using information fusion tools.
Lee
Doheon
D
Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, 373-1 Guseong-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea. dhlee@biosoft.kaist.ac.kr
Kim
Sangwoo
S
Kim
Younghoon
Y
D003198:Computer Simulation; D016208:Databases, Factual; D020407:Internet; D008954:Models, Biological; D009323:Natural Language Processing; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface
D020543:Proteome