title: Mapping of molecular pathways, biomarkers and drug targets for diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For diseases with complex phenotype such as diabetic nephropathy (DN), integration of multiple Omics sources promises an improved description of the disease pathophysiology, being the basis for novel diagnostics and therapy, but equally important personalization aspects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Molecular features on DN were retrieved from public domain Omics studies and by mining scientific literature, patent text and clinical trial specifications. Molecular feature sets were consolidated on a human protein interaction network and interpreted on the level of molecular pathways in the light of the pathophysiology of the disease and its clinical context defined as associated biomarkers and drug targets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 1000 gene symbols each could be assigned to the pathophysiological description of DN and to the clinical context. Direct feature comparison showed minor overlap, whereas on the level of molecular pathways, the complement and coagulation cascade, PPAR signaling, and the renin-angiotensin system linked the disease descriptor space with biomarkers and targets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only the combined molecular feature landscapes closely reflect the clinical implications of DN in the context of hypertension and diabetes. Omics data integration on the level of interaction networks furthermore provides a platform for identification of pathway-specific biomarkers and therapy options.
authors.affiliation: emergentec biodevelopment GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fechete
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinzel
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perco
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mönks
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Söllner
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stelzer
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eder
authors.forename: Doron
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lancet
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oberbauer
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D057225:Data Mining; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D040901:Proteomics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers