With　the　completion　of　the　Human　Genome　Project,　proteomics　research　has　become　one　of　the　most　important　topics　in　the　fields　of　life　science　and　natural　science.　The　project　determined　that　proteins　participate　in　life　activities　mainly　in　the　form　of　complexes.　At　present,　research　on　protein-protein　interaction　networks　(PPINs)　have　mainly　focused　on　detecting　protein　complexes　or　function　modules.　This　problem　has　been　transformed　into　a　recognizable　dense　subgraph　problem　in　a　PPIN　diagram.The　situation　in　PPIN　research　in　recent　years　is　introduced　in　this　study,　including　commonly　used　databases,　traditional　detection　algorithms,　recent　solutions,　and　the　application　of　the　swarm　intelligence　algorithms　in　this　field.　We　then　propose　a　detection　scheme　based　on　particle　swarm　optimization　(PSO)　and　gene　ontology　knowledge.　This　scheme　combines　PSO　and　biological　gene　ontology　knowledge　to　identify　complexes　from　PPINs.　Simultaneously,　network　topology　knowledge　improves　the　detection　accuracy　of　the　protein　module.　©　2016　IEEE.