title: Commentary: Systems biology and its relevance to alcohol research.
abstract: Systems biology, a new scientific discipline, aims to study the behavior of a biological organization or process in order to understand the function of a dynamic system. This commentary will put into perspective topics discussed in this issue of Alcohol Research & Health, provide insight into why alcohol-induced disorders exemplify the kinds of conditions for which a systems biological approach would be fruitful, and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing alcohol researchers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Metabolism and Health Effects, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Q Max
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakhari
mesh_terms: D020751:Alcohol-Induced Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*