Yuan Bing
Hong Kong Modern Chinese Medicine R&D Center, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Chin J Integr Med. 2016 Dec;22(12):883-888. doi: 10.1007/s11655-016-2605-z. Epub 2016 Oct 24.
In the field of life sciences, although system biology and "precision medicine" introduce some complex scientifific methods and techniques, it is still based on the "analysis-reconstruction" of reductionist theory as a whole. Adaptability of complex system increase system behaviour uncertainty as well as the difficulties of precise identifification and control. It also put systems biology research into trouble. To grasp the behaviour and characteristics of organism fundamentally, systems biology has to abandon the "analysis-reconstruction" concept. In accordance with the guidelines of complexity science, systems biology should build organism model from holistic level, just like the Chinese medicine did in dealing with human body and disease. When we study the living body from the holistic level, we will fifind the adaptability of complex system is not the obstacle that increases the diffificulty of problem solving. It is the "exceptional", "right-hand man" that helping us to deal with the complexity of life more effectively.
在生命科学领域,尽管系统生物学和“精准医学”引入了一些复杂的科学方法和技术,但总体上仍基于还原论的“分析—重构”。复杂系统的适应性增加了系统行为的不确定性以及精确识别和控制的难度,这也给系统生物学研究带来了麻烦。为了从根本上把握生物体的行为和特征,系统生物学必须摒弃“分析—重构”的观念。按照复杂性科学的指导方针,系统生物学应该从整体层面构建生物体模型,就像中医在处理人体和疾病时那样。当我们从整体层面研究生物体时,会发现复杂系统的适应性并非增加解决问题难度的障碍,而是帮助我们更有效地应对生命复杂性的“特殊”“得力助手”。