Pathway Analysis Using Minimum Flow for Novel Drug Links

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pathway analysis technologies are biased and limited to known intermolecular interactions, making it difficult to obtain unbiased insights for drug discovery beyond the scope of known intermolecular relationships.

Innovation Solution

A pathway is generated using a minimum flow algorithm based on property, connection, and similarity information, computing a dominance score for each molecule based on flow values to analyze intermolecular relationships beyond known interactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If pathway analysis is performed using known intermolecular interaction databases and scoring codes, then the analysis can be conducted with established methods, but the results are biased and limited to the scope of known interactions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of pathway analysisVSAvoidscope of analysis beyond known interactions
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the fundamental parameters of pathway analysis by replacing traditional scoring codes with a minimum flow algorithm that computes dominance scores based on flow values. This algorithmic approach transforms the analysis from a code-based scoring system to a mathematical optimization system, enabling unbiased discovery of intermolecular relationships beyond known interactions while maintaining reliability through rigorous computational methods

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes the mechanical system of manual code assignment and scoring with an automated minimum flow algorithm. This algorithm automatically computes dominance scores by optimizing flow distribution through the molecular network, replacing the need for predefined relationship codes and reliability codes with a self-contained computational framework that can discover novel interactions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If traditional scoring methods using relationship codes and reliability codes are used, then the analysis process is straightforward, but various biases are introduced in the results

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesimplicity of analysis processVSAvoidunbiasedness of results
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The minimum flow algorithm is self-service in that it automatically computes dominance scores without requiring external scoring codes or manual intervention. The algorithm takes molecular connection information as input and self-determines the importance of each molecule through flow value computation, eliminating the biases introduced by predefined relationship codes and reliability codes while maintaining operational simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4700777A1Pathway analysis device, pathway analysis method, and pathway analysis program
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 FRONTEO INC
  • EP4700777A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4700777A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4(b)
  • EP4700777A1 patent drawingFigure 5(a)~5(b)

AI summary

It is possible to obtain useful insights into drug discovery beyond the scope of known molecular interactions by including a pathway generation unit 11 configured to generate a pathway by applying a minimum flow algorithm based on property information representing a property of a molecule acting on a disease or a symptom, connection information representing a connection relationship between molecules, and similarity information representing a similarity between molecules, and a score computation unit 12 configured to compute a dominance score representing strength of a relationship between a molecule and a disease or symptom targeted for drug discovery by summing flow values assigned to one or more molecules connected immediately below one molecule based on flow value assigned to an individual molecule for molecules included in the generated pathway, and computing a dominance score by effectively utilizing flow values assigned to individual molecules during analysis based on a pathway generated by analysis of an intermolecular relationship beyond the scope of known relationships for an interaction between two molecules.