Introduction to Biological Networks

The new research area of genomics-inspired network biology lacks an introductory book that enables both physical/computational scientists and biologists to obtain a general yet sufficiently rigorous perspective of current thinking. Filling this gap, Introduction to Biological Networks provides a thorough introduction to genomics-inspired network biology for physical scientists and biologists involved in interdisciplinary research. The book focuses on the concept of molecular and genetic interaction networks as a paradigm for interpreting the complexity of molecular biology at a genomic scale. The authors describe the experimental methods used to discover and test networks of interaction among biological molecules. They also present computational methods for predicting the interaction networks, discuss general mechanisms of network formation and evolution, and explore the application of network approaches to important problems in biology and medicine. With many examples throughout and clear explanations of key concepts, this book is the first to offer a broad treatment of genomics-inspired network biology with sufficient mathematical and biological rigor. It gives readers a conceptual understanding of this burgeoning scientific field.