From physics to pharmacology? Allen, Richard J; Elston, Timothy C [Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)] 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; BIOLOGY; DISEASES; GENES; IN VIVO; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; METABOLITES; PHARMACOLOGY; PLASTICITY; PROTEINS; REVIEWS; DOCUMENT TYPES; MECHANICAL PROPERTIES; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS DOCUMENT TYPES; MECHANICAL PROPERTIES; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS Over the last 50 years there has been an explosion of biological data, leading to the realization that to fully explain biological mechanisms it is necessary to interpret them as complex dynamical systems. The first stage of this interpretation is to determine which components (proteins, genes or metabolites) of the system interact. This is usually represented by a graph or network. The behavior of this network can then be investigated using mathematical modeling. In vivo these biological networks show several remarkable (and seemingly paradoxical) properties including robustness, plasticity and sensitivity. Erroneous behavior of these networks is often associated with disease. Hence understanding the system-level properties can have important implications for the treatment of disease. Systems biology is an organized approach to quantitatively describe and elucidate the behavior of these complex networks. This review focuses on the progress and future challenges of a systems approach to biology. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/74/1/016601 United Kingdom 2011-01-01 English Journal Article Journal Name: Reports on Progress in Physics; Journal Volume: 74; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/74/1/016601; PII: S0034-4885(11)34010-9 Medium: X; Size: 19 pages https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/74/1/016601 [] 1 74 Journal ID: ISSN 0034-4885; RPPHAG; TRN: GB10P8918046682 GBN 2012-12-22 21451626