A fundamental challenge of biology, especially for a physicist used to a reductionist economy of thought, is that some details are essential for function while many can be safely averaged away: the function of a protein (like rhodopsin in vision) might be facilitated at the level of the quantum chemistry of its components (like retinal) leading in turn to a macroscopic cascade of signaling events, spanning multiple organizational scales. It is, therefore, essential to maintain a blend of reductionism enabling an accurate formulation of the microscopic events, together with the ability to identify and tune out universal properties, which are largely independent of system details.
A great challenge in this regard is the absence of a satisfactory mathematical language for biological organization. If biology is to undergo the same revolution of formalization that physics enjoyed around a century ago, it has to be similarly accompanied by a new mathematical framework. (Example: Symmetries are essential to organizing the hierarchy of fundamental particles. Symmetries are 'measured' by group theory. Therefore, group theory is a natural mathematical language for particle physics, which is of irreplaceable importance to the practicing physicist. A similar mathematical language of universal validity and acceptance is currently lacking for the organization and evolution of biological systems.)
Thus, the search for a universal mathematical framework relevant for systems biology is an overarching long term goal. An essential requirement of this quest, however, is to remain eminently relevant to experimental biology and physiology.
Melih Sener
Back to my homepage