| Recent large-scale efforts in genome-sequencing and expression analysis have produced an embarrassment of riches for life science researchers - biological data can now be accessed in quantities that are orders of magnitude greater than were available even a few years ago. Now, the growing need for integration of data sets has set the stage for the advent of systems biology, in which discrete biological processes and phenomena are approached as complex, interactive systems. We see systems biology research as a multi-stage process, beginning with the identification and analysis of individual system components and their networked interactions, and leading to the ability to control existing systems and design new ones based on an understanding of structure and underlying principles. |
