'Connectivity Map' quickly links diseases with candidate drugs

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Medical Research Gets High-Powered 'Search Engine'

'Connectivity Map' quickly links diseases with candidate drugs

By E.J. Mundell

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- It could someday be like Googling

for a cure.

A group of U.S. scientists says it has successfully tested a prototype

" Connectivity Map " -- a high-tech computer program that uses unique

genetic patterns as " search words " to link up specific illnesses with

the drugs that might treat them.

The achievement has already yielded intriguing insights into cancer and

Alzheimer's disease, says a team reporting in the Sept. 29 issue of

Science.

Someday, researchers around the world could use this genetic search

engine to speed up drug discovery and gain a broader understanding of

disease, the study authors said.

snip

The Connectivity Map remains in a raw, early form, but it is already

yielding key findings. For example, when the researchers plugged in the

gene signature for a plant-derived medicinal compound, genudin, they

found it to be a " match " against prostate cancer. Running the map

another time, they discovered that a well-known drug, rapamycin, might

help overcome drug resistance in patients battling leukemia.

" So, they were actually able to demonstrate some significant

possibilities for cancer treatment already as a result of this

database, " Lichtenfeld said. " This may, in fact, lead to better

investigations into drugs that might be effective. "

snip

Lichtenfeld agreed. " This is basically a 'proof-of-concept,' early stage

demonstration of the capability of such a system, " he said. " It's a

beta-test instead of a full-fledged, developed product. "

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