Multilayer network modeling of integrated biological systems: Comment on “Network science of biological systems at different scales: A review” by Gosak et al.

Abstract

Biological systems, from a cell to the human brain, are inherently complex. A powerful representation of such systems, described by an intricate web of relationships across multiple scales, is provided by complex networks. Recently, several studies are highlighting how simple networks -- obtained by aggregating or neglecting temporal or categorical description of biological data -- are not able to account for the richness of information characterizing biological systems. More complex models, namely multilayer networks, are needed to account for interdependencies, often varying across time, of biological interacting units within a cell, a tissue or parts of an organism.