한의학과 시스템생물학의 만남, 의미와 전망

Abstract

Recent advances in systems biology are shedding a new light on the traditional medicine research. The systems biology highlights the way each component interacts with each other within a system, and the network behavior that emerges from such interactions. This feature of systems biology can accent the systemic aspects of Korean medicine such as the mechanism of action of herbal formulae, pattern differentiation, and the meridian systems, as both the Korean medicine and the systems biology theorize the human physiological functions and phenomena from a holistic point of view. This paper outlines the meaning of the recent Korean medicine research using the systems biology methodology. We discuss the methodologies of the two fields in a comparative manner, and overview the advantages and limitations of the integrated approaches. Finally, we suggest the future prospects for the systems biology inspired approaches to the Korean medicine research. The systems biology may provide a new modernized research methodology for the Korean medicine that can highlight its unique features.