Multiple core targets

“Multiple core targets” is a **collective, non-specific designation** used in systems biology, network pharmacology, and multi-omics research to describe a set of molecular entities (often genes or proteins) that occupy central roles (hubs) in molecular interaction, signaling, or regulatory networks implicated in disease or therapeutic response[2][3][4][6][8]. The concept typically arises in the context of drug discovery from analyses such as protein-protein interaction networks, pathway enrichment studies, or machine learning-based target prioritization. These "core targets" are not a single, discrete molecule or receptor, but a set of molecules hypothesized to be especially relevant for modulating complex biological processes or disease phenotypes. The actual targets included under this term vary by disease area, research methodology, and experimental dataset, and must be specified individually to yield actionable or structured pharmacological information. This entry is **not suitable** for structuring as a specific receptor, enzyme, or drug target and should be replaced by the explicit listing of the individual targets (e.g., TNF, IL6, EGFR, MAPK1, etc.) if known.

Other names

Hub genesKey network nodesTherapeutic core targetsCentral targets