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This book introduces “network pharmacology” as an emerging frontier subject of systematic drug research in the era of artificial intelligence and big data. Network Pharmacology is an original subject of fusion system biology, bioinformatics, network science and other related disciplines. It emphasizes on starting from the overall perspective of the system level and biological networks, the analysis of the laws of molecular association between drugs and their treatment objects, reveals the systematic pharmacological mechanisms of drugs, and guides the research and development of new drugs and clinical diagnosis and treatment. After it was proposed, network pharmacology has been paid attention by researchers, and it has been rapidly developed and widely used. In order to systematically reveal the biological basis of diagnosis and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine, we proposed a new concept of "network target" for the first time, which has become the core theory of "network pharmacology". The core principle of a network target is to construct a biological network that can be used to decipher complex diseases. The network is then used as the therapeutic target, to which multicomponent remedies are applied. This book mainly includes four parts: 1) The concept and theory of network pharmacology; 2) Common analysis methods, databases and software in network pharmacological research; 3) Typical cases of traditional Chinese medicine modernization and modern drug research based on network pharmacology; 4) Network pharmacology practice process based on drugs and diseases.

Network Pharmacology and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Drug Discovery and Evaluation has become a more and more difficult, expensive and time-consuming process. The effect of a new compound has to be detected by in vitro and in vivo methods of pharmacology. The activity spectrum and the potency compared to existing drugs have to be determined. As these processes can be divided up stepwise we have designed a book series "Drug Discovery and Evaluation" in the form of a recommendation document. The methods to detect drug targets are described in the first volume of this series "Pharmacological Assays" comprising classical methods as well as new technologies. Before going to man, the most suitable compound has to be selected by pharmacokinetic studies and experiments in toxicology. These preclinical methods are described in the second volume „Safety and Pharmacokinetic Assays". Only then are first studies in human beings allowed. Special rules are established for Phase I studies. Clinical pharmacokinetics are performed in parallel with human studies on tolerability and therapeutic effects. Special studies according to various populations and different therapeutic indications are necessary. These items are covered in the third volume: „Methods in Clinical Pharmacology".

ntegrative Pharmacology can be used to determine the multi-pharmacological effects of traditional medicines such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Kampo, Sa-sang, Ayurveda, etc.). Through qualitative and quantitative pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) correlations among multi-constituents and multi-targets, integrating chemical profiling, ADME/PK processes, molecular network calculation and resulting experimental validation, the use of Integrative Pharmacology has become widespread. The data has provided a novel paradigm to evaluate the druggability of bioactive ingredients of herbs or formulae, to decipher the pharmacological mechanisms of drug action and to screen potentially new indications for approved drugs and previously unidentified adverse events. On this basis, Integrative Pharmacology may offer an effective way to test the potential scientific basis for traditional medicines and to assess what roles of traditional medicine can and cannot play in pharmaceuticals.