Advances in drug discovery based on network pharmacology and omics technology

Abstract

Drug discovery plays a crucial role in cancer treatment. Traditional drug discovery methods mainly rely on in vivo animal experiments and in vitro drug screening, which are not only costly but also time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the rise and widespread application of omics technologies, the paradigm of drug development has undergone significant changes, giving rise to network pharmacology—an innovative method for drug development and discovery. The application of network pharmacology has brought about revolutionary changes in the field of pharmacology, shortening research and development time and greatly improving the efficiency of drug discovery. This review provides an in-depth introduction to omics technologies, including metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics, and discusses the application of network pharmacology and these omics technologies in drug research. We focuse on the steps of studying cancer treatment drugs using network pharmacology combined with metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics technologies. These advancements have laid a solid foundation for the future development of network pharmacology and omics technologies and summarize the drug research methods based on network pharmacology, providing important references for future drug development.