In-silico Identification of Novel Drug Target for Osteoarthritisinhuman using System Network Biology Approaches

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disability in the world affecting a large number of persons s yet the mechanisms responsible for the disease is not well n understood. And therefore there is a lack of disease-modifying treatment options. It has several risk factors from systemic (e.g. age, sex, genetics, obesity) to biochemical factors (e.g. joint injury, muscle weakness, sport). The prevalence of OA is ever increasing due to the obesity epidemic and longevity. Since OA has strong genetic predisposition, in the study we attempted system network biology approach to identify a key candidate gene in a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of OA, which may play an important role in disease pathogenesis and help us to understand the development and progression of the disease. This information will help in target specific development of new molecules which may eventually lead to curative solutions for OA in human.