Over the last few years, there's been an explosion of information in biology. The mapping of the human genome gave biologists unprecedented detail about some 30,000 to 40,000 genes. Efforts are also under way to identify the thousands-and potentially millions-of proteins encoded by those genes. Researchers are now pursuing the next logical step in integrating all this data: systems biology.

The goal is to understand not just the functions of individual genes, proteins and smaller molecules like hormones, but to learn how all of these molecules interact within, say, a cell. Biologists hope to then use this information to generate more accurate computer models that will help unravel the complexities of human physiology and the underlying mechanisms of disease. The biggest payoff: faster development of more-effective drugs. "This is really opening up a whole new world, a new way of doing things," says Aram Adourian, director of advanced technologies at Beyond Genomics, a systems biology startup in Waltham, MA.