From Physics to Pharmacology?

Over the last fifty years there has been an explosion of biological data, leading to the realization that to fully explain biological mechanisms it is necessary to interpret them as complex dynamical systems. The first stage of this interpretation is to determine which components (proteins, genes or metabolites) of the system interact. This is usually represented by a graph, or network. The behavior of this network can then be investigated using mathematical modeling. In vivo these biological networks show several remarkable (and seemingly paradoxical) properties including robustness, plasticity and sensitivity. Erroneous behavior of these networks is often associated with disease. Hence understanding the system-level properties can have important implications for the treatment of disease. Systems biology is an organized approach to quantitatively describe and elucidate the behavior of these complex networks. This review focuses on the progress and future challenges of a systems approach to biology.