ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiovascular Metabolism
Protein Swarm-Based Cause-Effect Analysis: Effects of microRNAs on Cooperation Networks Linking COVID-19 Infections, Atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's Disease
Provisionally accepted
- 1Emergent System Analytics, Clinton, United States
- 2SystaMedic Inc., Clinton, United States
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Abstract Well-being depends on the integrated operation of biological processes at all levels of system organization, from individual cells to tissues and organ systems, collectively sustaining homeostasis and optimal bodily functions. The regulation of cooperation among these processes is mediated by information flow within networks possessing diverse structural, functional, and temporal properties. Disruption in these networks is observed in conditions such as infections, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. To advance understanding of immune system roles and to elucidate mechanisms underlying health vulnerability during disease, we utilized proteomics data related to 4,800 diseases along with protein swarm-based cause-effect analyses to identify principles governing plasticity and self-organizing capabilities of immune systems. Our findings demonstrate that the precision of immune system functions is regulated by dynamic alterations in the topologies of cooperation networks that are partially modulated by microRNAs. Additionally, our analysis indicates that investigating the underlying causes of diseases through the study of cooperative network functions and their interactions with microRNAs—rather than concentrating exclusively on individual protein targets or microRNAs—provides significant insights for devising effective treatment strategies for infections, cardiovascular conditions, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, aging, and related health concerns.
Keywords: Material protein swarms, gene ontology, Proteomics, Atherosclerosis, MicroRNAs, Infections, Alzheimer's disease, Cardiovascular conditions
Received: 16 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fliri, Kajiji and Sostek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Anton Fliri, anton.fliri@emergentsa.com
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