Systems biology is a rapidly advancing field of inquiry that applies the concepts of systems engineering and mathematical modelling to improve understanding of complex biological/medical systems.
In 2005 the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering identified it as an area of scientific and national priority and set up a joint working group to investigate.
In February 2007 two Academies published the report of the working group that highlights Systems Biology as a groundbreaking new approach to scientific research and calls for more support for research at the intersection of engineering and biology to ensure the UK remains competitive.
Sir Colin Dollery FMedSci (Joint-Chair)
Treasurer, Academy of Medical Sciences
Professor Richard Kitney FREng (Joint-Chair)
Professor of Biomedical Systems Engineering, Imperial College London
Professor Richard Challis FREng
Head, School of Electric and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham
Professor David Delpy FRS FREng FMedSci
Vice-Provost (Research; Business; Industry and the Community; Sciences), University College London
Professor David Edwards FMedSci
Weston Professor of Neonatal Medicine and Head of the Division of Paediatrics, Imperial College London
Dr Adriano Henney
Director, Global Sciences and Information, AstraZeneca
Professor Tom Kirkwood FMedSci
Co-Director, Institute for Ageing Research, University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Professor Denis Noble CBE FRS FMedSci
Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Oxford
Professor Malcolm Rowland FMedSci
Research Professor, University of Manchester
Professor Lionel Tarassenko FREng
Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Oxford
Professor David Williams FREng
Director, UK Centre for Tissue Engineering, University of Liverpool
The terms of reference were to:
- Provide a succinct, high-quality, review of the existing activity and capacity within the UK, highlighting positive and negative differences in the UK systems biology research capability through comparison with other countries.
- Consider the role of biomedical science and engineering in the context of systems biology and how the interface between the two disciplines, and others, should be developed to maximise opportunities.
- Consider potential current and future developments in systems biology and its likely impact.
- Identify key policy issues relating to systems biology and potential opportunities for systems biology to contribute to the health and wealth of the nation.
- Produce an authoritative report, accessible to both the specialist and lay reader.
- Advise Government, industry, academia and other stakeholders of the findings of the report and, where appropriate, recommend action.
- Determine the characteristics 'systems biology' reserch exhibits to provide a working definition of the term
Professor Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS FMedSci (Chairman)
Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine, University College London
Sir Michael Brady FRS FREng
Professor of Information Engineering, University of Oxford
Professor Forbes Dewey
Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor Rodney Smallwood FREng
Professor of Computational Systems Biology, University of Sheffield
Professor Douglas Young FMedSci
Fleming Professor of Medical Microbiology, Imperial College London
Professor Hans Westerhoff
Professor of Systems Biology, University of Manchester