title: Can a system approach help radiobiology?
abstract: This paper explores some of the basic considerations entailed in a system approach to radiobiology, which, in contrast to the traditional molecular approach, focuses on the processes that bring about change to the state of the system, in the case of the cell its phenotype. Radiation can be seen as 'stressing' these processes leading to phenotypic transitions independent of the genotype, that is, epigenetic changes. It is argued that, in this context, the physics that traditionally underpins biology is inappropriate and acts to impair the intuition essential to model building.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. keith.baverstock@uef.fi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baverstock
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nikjoo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D011853:Radiobiology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*