Metabolomics: A New Frontier for Research in Pediatrics

The study of molecular biology has traditionally been based on a reductionist approach: cells are separated into their components, which are further separated into smaller components (genes, RNA, proteins) to be studied.1 This approach is fundamental to describing the components of a biological system one by one. The need has emerged in recent years to move toward the comprehension of the system as a whole (systems biology approach) to understand not only the functioning of the individual components but also how a system works altogether.1 Systems biology is defined as the quantitative analysis of the dynamic interaction between several components of a biological system through the combination of mathematical modeling and experimental biology.1 Systems biology considers the interactions between DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites and studies the network of relationships in which they are involved, characterizing the flow of information at each level of biomolecular organization.2 This approach views the organism as a whole picture, leading to an integrated comprehension of its functioning in health and disease.

CARRARO Silvia;  GIORDANO Giuseppe;  RENIERO Fabiano;  PERILONGO Giorgio;  BARALDI Eugenio; 

2010-01-15

MOSBY-ELSEVIER

JRC50458

0022-3476,   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC50458,   

10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.01.014,