Abstract
The molecular biology revolution led to an intense focus on the study of interactions between DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the cell. One consequence of this focus was a reduced attention to whole-system physiology, making it difficult to link molecular biology to clinical medicine. Equipped with the tools emerging from the genomics revolution, we are now in a position to link molecular states to physiological ones through the reverse engineering of molecular networks that sense DNA and environmental perturbations and, as a result, drive variations in physiological states associated with disease.
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E.E.S. was recently employed by, and owns stock in, Merck & Co. At present, he is chief scientific officer of Pacific Biosciences.
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Correspondence should be addressed to E.E.S. (eschadt@pacificbiosciences.com).
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Schadt, E. Molecular networks as sensors and drivers of common human diseases. Nature 461, 218–223 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08454
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08454
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