Figure 1.

A genetic association study identifies genes associated with a phenotype. If those genes do not directly suggest effective strategies for therapeutics, researchers can use pathway or network-based approaches to expand the potential compound set. In the pathway-based approach, one or more associated pathways are identified and drugs that that target those pathways are prioritized. In the network approach, genes are mapped onto an interaction network and genes that are highly connected to associated genes are identified. Drugs that target those genes represent candidates for further study.