Open Access Letter to the Editor

Can network biology unravel the aetiology of congenital hyperinsulinism?

Adam Stevens1, Karen E Cosgrove2, Raja Padidela1, Mars S Skae1, Peter E Clayton1, Indraneel Banerjee1 and Mark J Dunne2*

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Endocrinology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, UK

2 Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK

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Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 2013, 8:21 doi:10.1186/1750-1172-8-21

Published: 8 February 2013

Abstract

Congenital Hyperinsulinism is a condition with a number of genetic causes, but for the majority of patients, the underlying aetiology is unknown. We present here a rational argument for the use of computational biology as a valuable resource for identifying new candidate genes which may cause disease and for understanding the complex mechanisms which define the pathophysiology of this rare disease.