2020 Volume 43 Issue 10 Pages 1435-1442
Profile data is defined as data which describes the properties of an object. Omics data of a specimen is profile data because its comprehensiveness supports the idea that omics data is numeric information which reflects biological information of the specimen. In general, omics data analysis utilizes an existing body of biological knowledge, while some profile data analysis methods are independent of existing knowledge, which is suitable for uncovering unidentified aspects of a specimen of interest. The effects of a small compound, such as drugs, are multiple, and include unrecognized effects, even by the developers. To uncover such unrecognized effects, it is useful to employ profile data analysis independent of existing knowledge. In this review, we summarize what profile data is, properties of profile data analysis, and current applications of profile data in order to understand and utilize the effects of small compounds, in particular, in a recently developed method to decompose multiple effects of a drug.
