Signals and Systems: Towards a Systems Biology of Signal Transduction

Systems biology seeks to understand how the behavior of cells and organisms arises from the collective interactions of their component molecules. I will discuss how signal transduction- the process by which cells sense and respond to external signals - is being reconsidered from a systems perspective. This relies on ideas and concepts from the physical sciences coupled to new experimental strategies. I will outline some of the challenges through work in our laboratory on epidermal growth factor signalling.