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Systems Biology

Systems biology is the study of biological organisms as functional systems, and is based on the premise that to understand an organism is to understand the relations and interactions that take place between its cells, proteins and genes. It is the scientific equivalent of the expression, “the sum of all parts is still less than the whole”, and for this reason it is theoretically opposed to molecular biology.

Whereas traditional biology has always been focused on the breaking down of an organism so as to understand its individual components – for example, researching the specific functions of DNA – systems biologists believe that the answers that have evaded researchers regarding human health and mortal diseases, such as cancer and AIDS, lie in correctly identifying and interpreting the functions of an organism’s complex and interactive network. This is due in part to the fact that when separate components are joined together they sometimes take on new properties or functions that would not be expected or witnessed if examined individually.

Systems biology is a new science, one that has developed thanks to the information that the Human Genome Project’s successful completion made available.

Web Resources On Systems Biology

Institute for Systems Biology
Convergence

Book Resources On Systems Biology

Systems Biology in Practice: Concepts, Implementation and Application by Edda Klipp
Foundations of Systems Biology by Hiroaki Kitano

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