TCM network pharmacology: New perspective integrating network target with artificial intelligence and multi-modal multi-omics technologies

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has unique advantages in disease prevention and treatment, but analyzing its biological mechanism with the modern medical research model of "single drug, single target" is challenging due to its characteristic of holistic view. Network pharmacology and its core theory network target associate drugs and diseases from a holistic and systematic perspective on the basis of biological networks, overcome the limitations of the reductionist research model and demonstrate significant value in TCM research. In recent years, the combination of network target computational and experimental methods, with artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-modal multi-omics technologies has greatly enriched and advanced the methodology of network pharmacology. Advances in computational and experimental techniques complement each other and support network target theory in solving key problems in deciphering TCM rationales. Focusing on the network target, this review introduces the progress of the network target method combined with AI in predicting the molecular mechanism of disease and drug target relationship, as well as the application of multi-modal multi-omics technologies in analyzing TCM formulae, syndromes and TCM toxicity. In the future, it is hoped that the network target theory will continue to adopt emerging technologies while developing new technologies according to its unique characteristics, leading to more breakthroughs in TCM research and further promoting the scientific understanding and innovation of TCM.