Systems Biology and grid technologies: Challenges for understanding complex cell signaling networks

Modern high-throughput analytical methods and computational modeling lead to the production of huge amounts of data in biology. This provides an opportunity to investigate dynamical properties of a biological system in a more rational way than previously, but it also requires advancements in applied information technologies. Experts need tools and technologies that enable data analysis and knowledge capture within such distributed and heterogeneous sources of information. This article outlines the benefits of grid technologies in Systems Biology, as illustrated through the example of reactive oxygen species pathways that are involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases and in signal transduction.