The Gordon Wilson lecture. Understanding vascular endothelium: a pilgrim's progress. Endothelial dysfunction, biomechanical forces and the pathobiology of atherosclerosis.

These are exciting times for the biomedical sciences, in general, and, in particular, for those who strive to understand the origins of complex human diseases, as we begin to focus with increasing precision on disease mechanisms at the cellular and molecular levels. Armed with the high-through-put technologies of the Post-Genomic Era, we now face the challenge of understanding biological systems at the level of their complex integration, and this will truly bring meaning to the concept of Systems Biology.