 | | | 1) Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project, ERATO
2) Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. |
| | Rapid progress of genome projects and proteome projects provide us abundant data of genes and proteins, so that their functions can be well understood. Nevertheless, these are components of systems, not the system itself. In order to fully understand biological system as a system, we need to investigate system-level behaviors. Although genome projects may provide us, for example, how single genetic mutation affects potential disease outbreak, diseases with multiple genetic disorders and other system-level disorders cannot be understood without understanding how a system of gene and metabolic network work as a system. While there are number of attempts for system-level understanding, there is a potential future needs for creating more comprehensive profiling of all sub-systems of a specific living system and their dynamics under various circumstances. System-level understanding of biological system is an ultimate challenge in biology that is directly addressed in systems biology [Kitano, 00]. In order to promote scientific research of systems biology, it is critically important to create a comprehensive data resource that describes system’s features that is analogous to the human genome project. It is an enormous challenge that requires significant efforts to establish foundation for scientific research in the area, that is far beyond the capability of any single research group. Therefore, the author proposes ”the systeome project” as a grand challenge project in the area of systems biology. Systeome is an assembly of system profiles for all genetic variations and environmental stimuli responses. A system profile means a set of information on the properties of the system that includes structures of the system and their behaviors, analysis results such as phase portfolio, bifurcation diagrams. The structure of the system means a structure of gene and metabolic network and its associated constants, physical structures and their properties. Systeome is different from a simple cascade map, because it assumes active and dynamic simulations and profiling of various system status, not a static entity. The author claims that the project shall be established for a comprehensive efforts for profiling systeome of human, mouse, Drosopila, C. elegans and yeast. The goal of the human systeome project shall be defined as ”to complete a detailed and comprehensive simulation model of human cell at an estimated error margin of 20 percents by year 2020, and to finish the identification of system profile for all genetic variations, drug response, and environmental stimuli by year 2030.” Undoubtfully, this is an ambitious project, and need several milestones and pilot project leading to the final goal. Initial pilot projects can be set using yeast and C. elegans with five or seven years time frame after the full size budget approval. The human systeome project shall be commenced concurrent with such pilot projects. |
| | | |
