Application of perturbation gene expression profiles in drug discovery – From mechanism of action to quantitative modelling

High dimensional characterization of drug targets, compound effects and disease phenotypes are crucial for increased efficiency of drug discovery. High-throughput gene expression measurements are one of the most frequently used data acquisition methods for such a systems level analysis of biological phenotypes. RNA sequencing allows genome wide quantification of transcript abundances, recently even on the level of single cells. However, the correct, mechanistic interpretation of transcriptomic measurements is complicated by the fact that gene expression changes can be both the cause and the consequence of altered phenotype.