Figure 2. Cross-species analysis of independent datasets has the potential to nominate novel opioid addition–associated genes.

In this example analysis, we identified overlap between a human opioid addiction–associated gene network (Sullivan et al., ref. 56 and 45 independent GeneSets collected from model organism experiments associated with opioid exposure (see Supplemental Table 1) within Geneweaver. We used a threshold requiring a gene nominated by Sullivan et al. (56) to be associated with an opioid exposure phenotype in at least three model organism GeneSet results. This analysis identified 12 such genes from among the 205 network genes examined (shown in column 1). (Of the 211 genes in the network identified in Sullivan et al., ref. 56, two were not present in Geneweaver and four did not have homologs in mice or rats, leaving 205 genes to be examined.) Note that candidate genes identified by this and related analyses would require functional validation in a controlled, repeatable environment.