Systems biology solutions to challenges in marine biotechnology

Abstract

Marine biotechnology can be considered as the use of marine bioresources as the target or source of biotechnological applications. Despite many successes have been achieved in marine biotechnology, still many gaps remain to be filled in our basic knowledge on marine science before it could be fully exploited. Systems biology focuses on complex interactions within biological systems, using a holistic approach instead of the traditional reductionism. Marine ecosystems, with different levels of organization at different scales, are ideal benchmark for designing integrative and systems biology approaches. On the other hand, except a few pioneering applications to marine ecology, systems biology approach to marine science is still at its infancy, and marine biotechnology could not benefit from the blessings of systems biology yet. Here, with its inherent holistic philosophy and multidisciplinary nature, systems biology perspective was proposed as a new driver toward seeking solutions to the grand challenges of marine biotechnology.