An Introduction to Systems Biology:
Design Principles of Biological
Circuits (Chapman & Hall/Crc
Mathematical and Computational
Biology) by Uri Alon
Excellent Book
Thorough and accessible, this book presents the design principles of
biological systems, and highlights the recurring circuit elements that make
up biological networks. It provides a simple mathematical framework which
can be used to understand and even design biological circuits. The
textavoids specialist terms, focusing instead on several well-studied
biological systems that concisely demonstrate key principles. An
Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits
builds a solid foundation for the intuitive understanding of general

principles. It encourages the reader to ask why a system is designed in a
particular way and then proceeds to answer with simplified models.
Personal Review: An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design
Principles of Biological Circuits (Chapman & Hall/Crc
Mathematical and Computational Biology) by Uri Alon
This is a great and well written book, a milestone in the field. I use this
book as part of the course material for my courses in "Systems Biology"
and "Biological Networks" at Columbia University and I recommend this
book to my students.
Systems Biology is a large and rapidly growing field, currently no two
scientists agree on its complete scope. Rather than attempting to be an all
encompassing shallow overview of the entire field, Uri Alon takes one topic
and presents it in clarity and depth. This is the perfect introduction to the
field because systems biology is not a pile of facts, but rather a scientific
approach and way of thought.
This book takes the reader through the process of formulating an abstract
simplification of very complex biology, using this simpler representation to
discover recurring patterns (motifs)in the organization of biological
networks. Then Alon rigorously demonstrates that this recurrence could
not have occurred by chance, providing sound statistical arguments, and
pedagogically highlighting statistical pitfalls. The majority of the book
presents clear mathematical thought experiments to decipher what roles
these "motifs" serve and why they are beneficial to the cell. Alon evaluates
the type of environmental signals cells need to process and how the
evolved network design provides the cell with robust and reliable signal
processing. Importantly, the models proposed by Alon match observed
empirical data.
Molecular biology is incredibly complex and Alon deductively presents a
tour de force example on how one can use analytical tools to construct a
simplified abstraction from which one can glean insight and understanding.
A fine initiation into the field.
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