ABSTRACT
The past 150 years have seen remarkable discoveries, rapidly growing biological knowledge, and giant technological leaps providing biotechnological solutions for healthcare, food production, and other societal needs. Genetic engineering, miniaturization, and ever-increasing computing power, in particular, have been key technological drivers for the past few decades. Looking ahead, the eventual transition from fossil resources to biomass and CO2 demands a shift toward a 'bio-economy' based on novel production processes and engineered organisms.
Subject(s)
Biotechnology , Industry , Biomass , Biotechnology/history , Genetic Engineering , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Metabolic EngineeringABSTRACT
Systems biology takes an interdisciplinary approach to the systematic study of complex interactions in biological systems. This approach seeks to decipher the emergent behaviors of complex systems rather than focusing only on their constituent properties. As an increasing number of examples illustrate the value of systems biology approaches to understand the initiation, progression, and treatment of cancer, systems biologists from across Europe and the United States hope for changes in the way their field is currently perceived among cancer researchers. In a recent EU-US workshop, supported by the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, and the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, the participants discussed the strengths, weaknesses, hurdles, and opportunities in cancer systems biology.
