The emerging field of systems biology promises completely new systems approaches to the study of disease. A systems view of medicine is predicated upon a simple idea the functions of life are mediated by biological networks, and human disease occurs when one or more of these networks become perturbed by genetic mutations and/or abnormal environmental signals, such as the AIDS virus. This systems view offers striking new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, namely Systems Medicine.

Systems Medicine is driving the development of new in vivo and in vitro measurement technologies, which will collectively lead to medical care that is predictive, preventative, personalized and participatory (P4 Medicineâ„¢ medicine) within the next 5 to 20 years. The implications of these and other fundamental paradigm changes on the future of medicine and the future of our health care system will be dramatically changed by P4 Medicineâ„¢ medicine. Like the Institute for Systems Biology, the Institute for Systems Medicine aims to foster paradigm shifts in how disease is viewed, diagnosed, treated, and even prevented.

The Institute for Systems Medicine's distinction lies in its aim to maintain both a strong emphasis on P4 Medicineâ„¢ medicine as well as in the promising field of Epigenomics which includes assessing the effect of environmental factors on disease and to integrate the translational application of the interdisciplinary, outcome-oriented research to the existing model of Systems Biology. This translational component will serve as the major conduit to transfer basic biomedical research to patients and doing so will leverage collaboration between academic, research and clinical capabilities in order to move Ideas to Innovations to Applications as well as set the ISM apart as a world-class institution.

Given the powerful combination of our knowledge of the genome, technological advances, and high-speed computers, the systems view of medicine and growing interdisciplinary collaborations present the opportunity to make new scientific and medical breakthroughs at an accelerated pace certainly more rapidly than in any new field of biology in the 20th Century. Upon reading this document, my hope is that you will share in our enthusiasm of ushering in new discoveries at the Institute for Systems Medicine.

Sincerely,

Leroy Hood, MD, PhD
President
The Institute for Systems Biology