Browsing by Author "Balaur, I."

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    A guide for developing comprehensive systems biology maps of disease mechanisms: planning, construction and maintenance
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2023-06-22) Mazein, A.; Acencio, M. L.; Balaur, I.; Rougny, A.; Welter, D.; Niarakis, A.; Ramirez Ardila, D.; Doğrusöz, Uğur; Gawron, P.; Satagopam, V.; Gu, W.; Kremer, A.; Schneider, R.; Ostaszewski, M.
    As a conceptual model of disease mechanisms, a disease map integrates available knowledge and is applied for data interpretation, predictions and hypothesis generation. It is possible to model disease mechanisms on different levels of granularity and adjust the approach to the goals of a particular project. This rich environment together with requirements for high-quality network reconstruction makes it challenging for new curators and groups to be quickly introduced to the development methods. In this review, we offer a step-by-step guide for developing a disease map within its mainstream pipeline that involves using the CellDesigner tool for creating and editing diagrams and the MINERVA Platform for online visualisation and exploration. We also describe how the Neo4j graph database environment can be used for managing and querying efficiently such a resource. For assessing the interoperability and reproducibility we apply FAIR principles.
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    cd2sbgnml: Bidirectional conversion between CellDesigner and SBGN formats
    (Oxford University Press, 2020-01) Balaur, I.; Roy, L.; Mazein, A.; Karaca, S. Gökberk; Doğrusöz, Uğur; Barillot, E.; Zinovyev, A.
    Motivation: CellDesigner is a well-established biological map editor used in many large-scale scientific efforts. However, the interoperability between the Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) Markup Language (SBGNML) and the CellDesigner’s proprietary Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) extension formats remains a challenge due to the proprietary extensions used in CellDesigner files. Results: We introduce a library named cd2sbgnml and an associated web service for bidirectional conversion between CellDesigner’s proprietary SBML extension and SBGN-ML formats. We discuss the functionality of the cd2sbgnml converter, which was successfully used for the translation of comprehensive large-scale diagrams such as the RECON Human Metabolic network and the complete Atlas of Cancer Signalling Network, from the CellDesigner file format into SBGN-ML. Availability and implementation: The cd2sbgnml conversion library and the web service were developed in Java, and distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0. The sources along with a set of examples are available on GitHub (https://github.com/sbgn/cd2sbgnml and https://github.com/sbgn/cd2sbgnml-webservice, respectively). Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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    Systems medicine disease maps: community-driven comprehensive representation of disease mechanisms
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2018) Mazein, A.; Ostaszewski, M.; Kuperstein, I.; Watterson, S.; Le Novère, N.; Lefaudeux, D.; De Meulder, B.; Pellet, J.; Balaur, I.; Saqi, M.; Nogueira, M. M.; He, F.; Parton, A.; Lemonnier, N.; Gawron, P.; Gebel, S.; Hainaut, P.; Ollert, M.; Doğrusöz, Uğur; Barillot, E.; Zinovyev, A.; Schneider, R.; Balling, R.; Auffray, C.
    The development of computational approaches in systems biology has reached a state of maturity that allows their transition to systems medicine. Despite this progress, intuitive visualisation and context-dependent knowledge representation still present a major bottleneck. In this paper, we describe the Disease Maps Project, an effort towards a community-driven computationally readable comprehensive representation of disease mechanisms. We outline the key principles and the framework required for the success of this initiative, including use of best practices, standards and protocols. We apply a modular approach to ensure efficient sharing and reuse of resources for projects dedicated to specific diseases. Community-wide use of disease maps will accelerate the conduct of biomedical research and lead to new disease ontologies defined from mechanism-based disease endotypes rather than phenotypes.