Novel network medicine approach identifies potential drug candidates for abdominal aortic aneurysms

A pioneering study published in Current Molecular Pharmacology has unveiled a novel computational strategy to combat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), a life-threatening condition with no current drug therapies. Led by Dr. Bing Wang and Xiaoyang Niu from Zhengzhou University, the research harnessed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and network medicine to decode AAA’s inflammatory drivers.

The team analyzed data from AAA and non-aneurysmal tissues, identifying 10 cell types—including monocytes and mast cells—that dominate AAA progression. "Our findings highlight SLC2A3 and IER3 as central players in AAA’s inflammatory cascade," Dr. Wang noted. These genes showed strong ties to immune pathways, with SLC2A3 emerging as a prime drug target.