Pathway Analysis

Pathway Analysis Overview

Pathway analysis is a powerful tool in bioinformatics and systems biology. It involves the interpretation of various biological pathways to understand the complex interplay of genes, proteins, metabolites, and other molecular entities. By analyzing these pathways, researchers can uncover how different biological processes operate and interact, leading to new insights into disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and more.

Pathway analysis can guide experimental design, ensuring efficient resource utilization and focused exploration of biologically relevant areas. The identification of key regulators within perturbed pathways opens avenues for potential therapeutic interventions. Visual representations provided by pathway analysis tools simplify the communication of findings, enhancing the accessibility of metabolomics research across interdisciplinary audiences. In essence, pathway analysis in metabolomics is indispensable for extracting meaningful biological knowledge from intricate metabolite networks, contributing to advancements in both basic science and translational research.

Pathway Analysis within Our Bioinformatics Platform

Pathway analysis is crucial for effectively analyzing metabolomics data.

Comprehensive and User-Friendly Pathway Analysis

Pathways Enrichment Features

Enrichment Results Tab

The ‘Enrichment Results’ feature is the default view, showcasing a sunburst (circular) visualization that categorizes pathways such as ‘Amino acids,’ ‘Lipids,’ and ‘Energy.’ This visualization employs a color gradient to reflect the log(p-value), providing an immediate visual cue to the statistical significance of each pathway. Below the visualization is the ‘Enrichment Results’ table, which lists pathways with columns for Level, Parent, Name, p-value, log(p-value), Coverage, Size, and direct links to ‘Pathways’ and ‘Volcano Plot.’ This table is interactive, allowing for sorting and filtering to aid in the examination of specific results.

Explore Pathways

Upon selecting the “Explore Pathways” feature, you are presented with a rich, interactive diagram page. This page offers a visualization of biological pathways, providing an intuitive and engaging way to explore the intricate web of metabolic and signaling pathways. Here you can delve deeper into the data, gaining insights into how different metabolites, enzymes, and cofactors interact within a pathway.

Explore Associations

The “Explore Associations” feature utilizes a Sankey diagram to illustrate the intricate relationships between metabolic pathways and diseases. A Sankey diagram is a specific type of flow diagram, in which the width of the arrows or bands is proportional to the flow rate or quantity of the entities through the system. This visualization effectively conveys the magnitude of connections, allowing us to discern the relative significance of different pathways and their association with various diseases.