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Tackling the challenges of interdisciplinary bioscience

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 5, pages 933–937 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The ultimate goal for biology is to become a science that formulates our understanding of subcellular, cellular and multicellular systems in terms of quantitative, holistic models that are underpinned by the rigorous principles of the physical sciences and mathematics. This can only be achieved through interdisciplinary research that draws heavily on the expertise and technologies of the physical sciences, engineering, computation and mathematics. Here, I discuss the benefits and challenges (both intellectual and practical) of interdisciplinary bioscience.

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Figure 1: The mixture of disciplines that contribute to quantitative bioscience.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust for the support of his research, the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation for a Research Merit award, and the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation for the generous support of the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB). He would also like to thank the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry for their ongoing support of interdisciplinary research. The author is affiliated to the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), which merged with the University of Manchester in October 2004.

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  1. the Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK

    John McCarthy

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  1. John McCarthy
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FURTHER INFORMATION

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

European Science Foundation

Foresight Institute — preparing for nanotechnology

Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan

Institut Curie

Institute of Physics

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik komplexer technischer Systeme

Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre

Medical Research Council

Nanobiotechnology Center

Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen

Office of Science and Technology (UK)

Research Councils UK

Royal Society of Chemistry

Royal Academy of Engineering

Systeme des Lebens — Systembiologie

The Royal Society

The Wellcome Trust

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McCarthy, J. Tackling the challenges of interdisciplinary bioscience. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 5, 933–937 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm1501

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