Approach towards gaining that is less , though nevertheless tends to be highly focused on molecules and their , especially across complex entities such as whole cells or bodies.

Systems biology, that is, is particularly involved in discovery of aspects of , again such as cells or bodies, that are less easily understood based solely on knowledge gleaned from details of individual components as they can function in relative isolation.

An important goal of systems biology, in other words, is the discovery of otherwise difficult to appreciate bases of , particularly though not exclusively as associated with organisms.

From :

Systems biology is not an immediate or direct answer to the big questions faced by biologists, but rather an integrative and iterative approach that describes a and then allows the gradual introduction of increasing amounts of until the model reflects the system in the . … A good systems biology approach exploits multidisciplinary expertise and techniques to identify the minimum set of biological information needed to explain or define a system.

Consider also such complications as epistatis, , and variations in .