Navigation Links
Key to future medical breakthroughs is systems biology, say leading European scientists
Date:1/13/2009

Crucial breakthroughs in the treatment of many common diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's could be achieved by harnessing a powerful scientific approach called systems biology, according to leading scientists from across Europe. In a Science Policy Briefing released today by the European Science Foundation, the scientists provide a detailed strategy for the application of systems biology to medical research over the coming years.

Systems biology is a rapidly advancing field that combines empirical, mathematical and computational techniques to gain understanding of complex biological and physiological phenomena. For example, dozens, or even hundreds, of proteins can be involved in signalling processes that ensure the proper functioning of a cell. If such a signalling network is disturbed in any way, diseases such as cancer and diabetes can result.

Conventional approaches of biology do not have the capacity to unravel these elaborate webs of interactions, which is why drug design often fails. Simply knocking out one target molecule in a biochemical pathway is turning out to be a flawed strategy for drug design, because cells are able to find alternative routes. It is a similar scenario to setting up a roadblock: traffic will grind to a standstill for a short time, but soon motorists will start turning around and using side-roads to get to their destination. Just as the network of roads allows alternative routes to be used, the network of biochemical pathways can enable a disease to by-pass a drug.

Systems biology is now shedding light on these complex phenomena by producing detailed route maps of the subcellular networks. These will make it possible for scientists to develop smarter therapeutic strategies for example by disrupting two or three key intersections on a biochemical network. This could lead to significant advances in the treatment of disease and help with the shrinking pipeline of pharmaceutical companies using tradi
'/>"/>

Contact: Olaf Wolkenhauer
Olaf.Wolkenhauer@uni-rostock.de
49-038-149-87570
European Science Foundation
Source:Eurekalert

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Great Plains historical stability vulnerable to future changes
2. Gene may hold key to future cancer hope
3. DOE publishes update of plan: Facilities for the Future of Science: A 20-Year Outlook
4. NASA technology helps predict and prevent future pandemic outbreaks
5. Sunbathing tree frogs future under a cloud
6. Methane from microbes: a fuel for the future
7. Setting a course for the future of tissue engineering
8. Air quality forecasts see future in space
9. Oceans Past: A Guide to Oceans Future
10. Building the future -- 21st century nano tools to repair the nervous system
11. Climate change in the Baltic Sea basin -- past, present and future

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:11/23/2009)... Southern California biomedical engineer and cardi...tool to help clinicians distinguish cardiac emerge...blems manageable with drugs and lifestyle change. ...into the arteries feeding the heart, offer an insi... blood vessels, often revealing deposits of a dang...
(Date:11/23/2009)...stitute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part ...esting $42.3 million for grants in scientific area... developed the GO grant program to stimulate biome...d by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (R...t promise to have a significant impact on a field ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...eo Casabona is Director of the Interuniversity Pro...University and the University of the Basque Countr... but also has other experts such as researchers in...n specialists in ethics. , The Interuniversity P...niversities of Deusto and the Basque Country was c...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Stable plaque or heart attack plaque? USC researcher builds new sensor to tell which is which 2NIGMS invests in scientific Grand Opportunities with Recovery Act funds 2NIGMS invests in scientific Grand Opportunities with Recovery Act funds 3Research and legislation should go hand in hand, as much as possible 2Southern California Surgical Center 28heart411 com 29 Specializes in Mitral Valve Replacement 52836 1Southern California Surgical Center 28heart411 com 29 Specializes in Mitral Valve Replacement 52836 2Zimmer Launches New Medical Education and BioSkills Training Program 13214 1Zimmer Launches New Medical Education and BioSkills Training Program 13214 2Zimmer Launches New Medical Education and BioSkills Training Program 13214 3Zimmer Launches New Medical Education and BioSkills Training Program 13214 4American Oriental Bioengineering to Report Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results on August 7 2009 13212 1
...N (05-28-09) -- Biomedical engineers at Boston Uni...or James J. Collins and colleagues have wired a ne...nt discrete events, opening the door for a host of...delivery and sensing environmental hazards. , "T... addressed within synthetic biology: Can you count...
...rchers from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Resear...ol of Medicine have uncovered a remarkable propert...r cell division. Understanding how the contractil...elopment of therapies to prevent uncontrolled cell... even though both cell volume and the length of t...
...is release is available in Spanish . , In the ...e research works that throw light on global warmin...tudies on atmospheric aerosol, a suspension of sol...at can contribute to the warming or cooling of the...oped his doctoral thesis "Lidar Technique for atmo...
Other Biology News:Boston University biomedical engineers teach bacteria to count 2Boston University biomedical engineers teach bacteria to count 3Study may aid efforts to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer 2A research work will be the reference to characterize the climatic impact of desert dust 2
(Date:11/24/2009)...wire-Asia/--NODPharmaceuticalsInc.announced,theUSP...pplicationfor,itsnano-particleoraldeliveryorNODtec...roachtoincorporatepeptidesor,proteinsintobio-adhes...wiseadministeredasinjections.NODtechnologyisaplatf...drugssuchasinsulin,interferon,growthhormone,exena...
(Date:11/24/2009)...FBI recently approved the Promega PowerPlex 16 HS ... generating DNA records for the National DNA Index...A (PRWEB) -- The FBI recently approved the Promega...ries participating in, or generating DNA records f...rently contains more than seven million profiles a...
(Date:11/24/2009)...RNewswire-FirstCall/--ArenaPharmaceuticals,Inc.(Na...ledtopresentatthePiperJaffray21stAnnualHealthCareC...30a.m.PacificTime)attheNewYorkPalaceHotelinNewYork...fficer,isscheduledtoprovideanoverviewofthecompany,...s. ,, Aliveaudiowebcastofthepresentationwillbea...
(Date:11/24/2009)...ical Abstracts Service (CAS), the global expert on... office is now the world,s leading producer of pat...iled Japan,s patent office, the World Intellectual...es Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for more th... 2006, and exceeded Japan for the first time on a ...
Breaking Biology Technology:NDIS Approval of Promega PowerPlex Kit Clears Path for More DNA Profiles to be Added to U.S. Database 2Arena Pharmaceuticals to Present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 3
... Micromet, Inc.,(Nasdaq: MITI ), a biopharmaceut...ies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and ...stian Itin, President and Chief,Executive Officer ...cial,Group,s SIGnificant Investment Options Confer...he W Hotel in New York., Dr. Itin,s presentation ...
...r Group: CNN Expose Highlights Urgent Need for ...ARBARA, Calif., Feb. 29 CNN,s recent expose on,as...g reality that the,deadly carcinogen is virtually ...stos was used heavily in Navy ships and shipyards;...ding drywalls, flooring,roofing materials, and cem...
...endle (Nasdaq: KNDL ), a,leading, global full-ser...ed that Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer...nnual Raymond James,Institutional Investors Confer...ency Grand Cypress in Orlando, March 2-5, 2008. Ke...rch 5 at 1:40 p.m. Eastern Time., (Logo: http://...
Other Biology Technology:Micromet to Present at the Susquehanna Financial Group's SIGnificant Investment Options Conference on March 4, 2008 2Calling for a Cure 2Kendle to Present at the 29th Annual Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference 2
...easy-to-use operating environment for simplified i...gration with regulatory compliance requirements. C...e-analysis, custom reports, and data management in...utions assistant bar provides easy navigation betw...
Corning Resuable Pp Vial Rack, Non-Sterile, 50 Positions, Self Locking Design from Sigma-Aldrich
Corning Cryo Vial Rack, PC, Holds 30 Self-Standing Vials, Non-Sterile from Sigma-Aldrich
Benchtop Laminar Hood (Universal Hood) from Terra Universal, Inc.
Biology Products: