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Systematic: How Systems Biology Is Transforming Modern Medicine
A brilliant young scientist introduces us to the fascinating field that is changing our understanding of how the body works and the way we can approach healing.
SYSTEMATIC is the first book to introduce general readers to systems biology, which is improving medical treatments and our understanding of living things. In traditional bottom-up biology, a biologist might spend years studying how a single protein works, but systems biology studies how networks of those proteins work together--how they promote health and how to remedy the situation when the system isn't functioning properly.
Breakthroughs in systems biology became possible only when powerful computer technology enabled researchers to process massive amounts of data to study complete systems, and has led to progress in the study of gene regulation and inheritance, cancer drugs personalized to an individual's genetically unique tumor, insights into how the brain works, and the discovery that the bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut may drive malnutrition and obesity. Systems biology is allowing us to understand more complex phenomena than ever before.
In accessible prose, SYSTEMATIC sheds light not only on how systems within the body work, but also on how research is yielding new kinds of remedies that enhance and harness the body's own defenses.
SYSTEMATIC is the first book to introduce general readers to systems biology, which is improving medical treatments and our understanding of living things. In traditional bottom-up biology, a biologist might spend years studying how a single protein works, but systems biology studies how networks of those proteins work together--how they promote health and how to remedy the situation when the system isn't functioning properly.
Breakthroughs in systems biology became possible only when powerful computer technology enabled researchers to process massive amounts of data to study complete systems, and has led to progress in the study of gene regulation and inheritance, cancer drugs personalized to an individual's genetically unique tumor, insights into how the brain works, and the discovery that the bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut may drive malnutrition and obesity. Systems biology is allowing us to understand more complex phenomena than ever before.
In accessible prose, SYSTEMATIC sheds light not only on how systems within the body work, but also on how research is yielding new kinds of remedies that enhance and harness the body's own defenses.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published February 7, 2017
19 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
About the author
James R. Valcourt
2 books15 followersJames R. Valcourt is pursuing a Ph.D. in systems biology at Harvard University. As a former researcher at D. E. Shaw Research in New York City, he used supercomputer simulations to study pharmaceutical drugs. He is a recipient of the quarter-million-dollar Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship, and graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in molecular biology, receiving the Pyne Prize. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 28, 2022
This book was definitely disappointing. Too detailed for someone without prior experience looking for a cursory overview of the field, and not detailed enough for someone with any background in it. It also felt like a hodgepodge introduction to the author's favorite scientists without any real structure or thesis. Having read this book I don't know if I know anything more about systems biology than I did before
February 7, 2017
Summary: I enjoyed hearing about the fascinating success stories and future directions of this exciting new field.
Systems biology is a newly formed and rapidly evolving field, filled with exciting new research made possible by the computing power available today. Many scientists still do valuable research exploring very small, specific parts of biology. Now systems biologists are beginning to look at how all of this previously studies pieces connect. By taking into account the bigger picture, systems biology has enabled the design of "cancer drugs personalized to an individual's genetically unique tumor, insights into how the brain works, and the discovery that the bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut may drive malnutrition and obesity." (source) And that's just the beginning.
Even though I'd heard many of the biology stories related here before, I enjoyed hearing about them again from a systems biology perspective. I also learned about novel discoveries that I think even someone who's not a science nerd like me would find pretty inspiring. There are truly so many exciting breakthroughs happening right now! I was impressed by how up-to-date this review was. I think it's incredible that the author made time to write this as a grad student and I love that such an up-to-date review was written for a general audience.
In terms of how accessible it was, I have mixed feelings. The author included many great analogies and images to make explanations more clear. He also did a great job of sharing his own enthusiasm for the field. Unlike in Furry Logic , I thought he included pop culture references and humor naturally. It felt personable, not forced. However, he made some tough decisions about how much background and how much detail to include in each story. While I think he did a fantastic job preserving accuracy, I worry that a reader who didn't already know a minimal amount of molecular biology might get sidetracked by the details he doesn't explain. I do think having a read a pop science book or two on the topic before would easily be enough to get someone up to speed though. I'm also not sure I'm right about this being a problem, so I'd love to hear what you think if you pick this up!
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This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
Systems biology is a newly formed and rapidly evolving field, filled with exciting new research made possible by the computing power available today. Many scientists still do valuable research exploring very small, specific parts of biology. Now systems biologists are beginning to look at how all of this previously studies pieces connect. By taking into account the bigger picture, systems biology has enabled the design of "cancer drugs personalized to an individual's genetically unique tumor, insights into how the brain works, and the discovery that the bacteria and other microbes that live in the gut may drive malnutrition and obesity." (source) And that's just the beginning.
Even though I'd heard many of the biology stories related here before, I enjoyed hearing about them again from a systems biology perspective. I also learned about novel discoveries that I think even someone who's not a science nerd like me would find pretty inspiring. There are truly so many exciting breakthroughs happening right now! I was impressed by how up-to-date this review was. I think it's incredible that the author made time to write this as a grad student and I love that such an up-to-date review was written for a general audience.
In terms of how accessible it was, I have mixed feelings. The author included many great analogies and images to make explanations more clear. He also did a great job of sharing his own enthusiasm for the field. Unlike in Furry Logic , I thought he included pop culture references and humor naturally. It felt personable, not forced. However, he made some tough decisions about how much background and how much detail to include in each story. While I think he did a fantastic job preserving accuracy, I worry that a reader who didn't already know a minimal amount of molecular biology might get sidetracked by the details he doesn't explain. I do think having a read a pop science book or two on the topic before would easily be enough to get someone up to speed though. I'm also not sure I'm right about this being a problem, so I'd love to hear what you think if you pick this up!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
January 15, 2018
This was actually my first biology review. The book had really good explanations and gives focused introductions. I haven't studied biology since high school and doubt I ever studied it at the level this author wrote this review. I have always been interested in animal studies in my younger years. So, I was surprised to discover a biology book based on organism systems.It made me think of life science from a whole new prospective. I found the topics of cellular reproduction, genetic inheritance, DNA and RNA systems, and bacterial diagnoses to be the most interesting. The book was very easy to understand and offered concise guidance through the material. I would recommend this book as a must read for those progressing through collegiality medicine.
March 22, 2017
Wonderful introduction to systems biology and the latest (and coolest) innovations in biotech/science. I work at a systems economics think tank which draws inspiration from biology, and this was a great source of ideas. At times it's unclear what really is systems biology, but the material is fascinating nonetheless
April 8, 2018
Started a little slow, but it delivered. A solid intro to an exciting new field.
February 18, 2019
An introductory book do
June 9, 2017
"Systematic" is a lot of fun, a youthful "gee-whiz" look at what's going on in systems biology today. It is very accessible, and it ties certain biological phenomena to particular well-understood models you may have encountered elsewhere, including causal loop diagrams, Ising models, and percolation. The topics are consistently engaging and sometimes delightful surprises. It is very well organized, with each chapter on a particular subject, and each section tying chapters together in a common theme: either fundamentals, systems at a particular biological scale, or applications. I found it easy to pick up for short periods as my day allowed.
The one thing it isn't is particularly systematic, and doesn't really develop any of the materials further. Each topic is more-or-less self-standing. Though the form of common fundamentals/specific systems/applications is a common organization, this book doesn't follow through on that organization, using the fundamentals to illuminate the behavior of particular systems, or the explanation of particular systems in how applications work.
As a result, you feel like you are reading a well-curated anthology of systems biology journalism. There's nothing wrong with that: it's still interesting, informative, and fun, even if not connected into a more holistic vision. The parts are still greater than the whole, but it could go further in that direction.
"Sytematic" still has a great voice and confidence for an author so early in their career, and I look forward to the author's future work.
The one thing it isn't is particularly systematic, and doesn't really develop any of the materials further. Each topic is more-or-less self-standing. Though the form of common fundamentals/specific systems/applications is a common organization, this book doesn't follow through on that organization, using the fundamentals to illuminate the behavior of particular systems, or the explanation of particular systems in how applications work.
As a result, you feel like you are reading a well-curated anthology of systems biology journalism. There's nothing wrong with that: it's still interesting, informative, and fun, even if not connected into a more holistic vision. The parts are still greater than the whole, but it could go further in that direction.
"Sytematic" still has a great voice and confidence for an author so early in their career, and I look forward to the author's future work.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews