Final Report Summary - SYSBIOMED (Systems biology for medical applications) The project provided valuable strategic information for the assessment of medical systems biology's potential, laying groundwork for future research initiatives. Workshops (preparatory and disease focused 'exploratory' workshops) formed the core of SYSBIOMED. They offered valuable opportunities for young scientists to enter this field, for theoreticians to meet experimentalists, for industry to meet academic researchers and should help to bridge the gap between the scientific communities in systems biology and medical / clinical research. Young academics interacted with high-level experts from the corresponding medical fields and industry and develop future perspectives (foresight) on mid-term and long-term SB applications for medicine (think tank). Attention was also given towards applying the knowledge, indeed commercial enterprises in particular benefited from SYSBIOMED's experts workshops by giving them first-hand access to cutting-edge science, especially through the researchers' network. Clinicians from the network and advisory board had the opportunity to evaluate options for translational research. SYSBIOMED was not a stand-alone initiative. It built on relevant actions and was committed to close collaboration with related initiatives in order to: a) pave the way for collaborations beyond each programmes' borders; and b) to avoid redundant and parallel efforts wasting resources. SYSBIOMED has won the commitment of the journals The Scientist, Nature Biotechnology and IEE Proc. Systems Biology which supported a work package devoted to the dissemination of SYSBIOMED's results. Medical systems biology projects carried out recently across Europe have revealed a need for action. While the need for mathematical modelling and interdisciplinary collaborations is becoming widely recognised in the biological sciences, with substantial implications for the training and research funding mechanisms within this area, the medical sciences have yet to follow this lead. To achieve major breakthroughs in medical systems biology, existing academic funding schemes for large-scale projects need to be reconsidered. The hesitant stance of the pharmaceutical industry towards major investment in systems biology research has to be addressed. One major recommendation of the project is that leading medical journals should be encouraged to promote mathematical modelling. Related documents Final Report - SYSBIOMED (Systems biology for medical applications)
