1 - Systems Biology as a Concept

Abstract

This chapter discusses the basic concepts of system biology and system physiology. The central concept of system physiology is that an arrangement of biological components, coupled, connected, and interacting, has properties beyond the sum of those to be found in the components individually. Therefore, systems physiology is the science of the static, quasi-static, and dynamic properties of components. The properties of a system of connected components depend on (1) the nature of the components individually, (2) the nature of the individual connections and coupling relations, and (3) the arrangement of components and the paths of communication among them. By definition, these system properties lie outside the scope of molecular biology and represent the province of systems physiology, in which the structural integrity of components is accepted and the dissolution of structure is minimized. Systems physiology poses the questions and sets the goals for analytical biology generally. It is characterized by its point of view, by the kinds of questions it asks, and by the kinds of answers it seeks rather than by the level of organization at which a study is made.