Relevance of Systems Biology to Respiratory Medicine
Álvar Agustí 1, Alejandra López-Giraldo 2, Tamara Cruz 3, Rosa Faner 3
1 Editor in chief, BRN Reviews; 2 Pneumology Service Thorax Institute, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Investigation August Pi i Sunyer IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Biomedical Investigation Network of Respiratory Diseases CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Foundation for Biomedical Research, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain; 3 Institute for Biomedical Investigation August Pi i Sunyer IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Biomedical Investigation Network of Respiratory Diseases CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Foundation for Biomedical Research, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
*Correspondence: Alejandra López-Giraldo, Email not available
Abstract
Human biology is extremely complex because it is multi-level (i.e., it involves interactions between molecules, cells, tissues, and organs), redundant (i.e., there are multiple cross-talks between these elements), influenced by macro and/or micro environmental factors, and dynamic (i.e., it changes with time). Hence, the investigation of human health and disease requires a research strategy able to encompass this complexity. Systems biology and its human equivalent, network medicine, are novel research strategies that pursue, precisely, these goals. This review discusses the principal features of systems biology (Why bother? What is it? How do we do it?), and presents some examples of its application to network respiratory medicine using chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a use-case.
