Pathway-Centric Global Expression Profiling Reveals Key Molecular Drivers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Pathway-based analysis has emerged as a powerful approach in systems biology for interpreting gene expression data. Instead of assessing individual genes in isolation, this method evaluates groups of genes within established biological pathways, thereby reducing data complexity and improving the biological interpretability of results. By condensing thousands of gene-level signals into a smaller set of functional units, pathway-based analysis enables the identification of meaningful patterns, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic targets. This approach is particularly valuable in microarray studies, where probe-level expression data can be systematically examined for significant fold changes within biologically relevant pathways.