Systems modeling: a pathway to drug discovery

Systems modeling is emerging as a valuable tool in therapeutics. This is seen by the increasing use of clinically relevant computational models and a rise in systems biology companies working with the pharmaceutical industry. Systems models have helped understand the effects of pharmacological intervention at receptor, intracellular and intercellular communication stages of cell signaling. For instance, angiogenesis models at the ligand-receptor interaction level have suggested explanations for the failure of therapies for cardiovascular disease. Intracellular models of myeloma signaling have been used to explore alternative drug targets and treatment schedules. Finally, modeling has suggested novel approaches to treating disorders of intercellular communication, such as diabetes. Systems modeling can thus fill an important niche in therapeutics by making drug discovery a faster and more systematic process.