Gemmell JS, Lucke-Wold B. Traditional Chinese medicine and modern technology: Network pharmacology and omics sequencing in gastric cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(3): 102077 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i3.102077]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jessica Shapiro Gemmell, College of Medicine, University of Florida, 1104 Newell Dr. Gainesville, FL 32601, United States. jessicashapiro@ufl.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Mar 15, 2025; 17(3): 102077 Published online Mar 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i3.102077
Traditional Chinese medicine and modern technology: Network pharmacology and omics sequencing in gastric cancer
Jessica Shapiro Gemmell, Brandon Lucke-Wold
Jessica Shapiro Gemmell, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32601, United States
Brandon Lucke-Wold, Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States
Author contributions: Gemmell JS and Lucke-Wold B wrote the paper; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jessica Shapiro Gemmell, College of Medicine, University of Florida, 1104 Newell Dr. Gainesville, FL 32601, United States. jessicashapiro@ufl.edu
Received: October 7, 2024 Revised: December 10, 2024 Accepted: January 2, 2025 Published online: March 15, 2025 Processing time: 129 Days and 11.3 Hours
Abstract
In this editorial, we comment on the article by Micucci et al published in the recent issue. We focus on the heterogenous nature of gastric cancer (GC) and the potential benefits of integrating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with the modern technology of network pharmacology (NP) and omics sequencing. GC is a heterogenous disease, as it incorporates several biochemical pathways that contribute to pathogenesis. TCM acknowledges the multifactorial, heterogenous nature of disease and utilizes an integrative approach to medicine. NP, a modern philosophy within drug development, integrates traditional knowledge of nutraceuticals and modern technologies to address the complex interactions of pathways within the body. Omics technologies, which is at the core of precision medicine, has allowed for this newfound principle of drug development. Metabolic pathways are better distinguished, leading to more targeted drug development. However, the use of omics technology needs to be employed to better characterize the subtypes of GC. This will allow TCM’s use of nutraceuticals in the application of NP to better target metabolic pathways that may aid in the prevention of GC as well as enhance treatment.
Core Tip: Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogenous disease that incorporates the use of multiple metabolic pathways to contribute to tumorigenesis. Modern technology, which includes omics sequencing, has allowed for better characterization of these pathways and more targeted drug development by using natural components in food, nutraceuticals, to enhance treatment. However, current classification of GC as well as treatment does not address the complex nature of this disease. Omics technologies must be applied to characterize the subtypes of GC, which may lead to better application of nutraceuticals for both prevention and treatment.
