Figure 1

Abstract demonstration of the expansion of information resulting from reductionist investigation of multi-scale biological systems. Figure 1a shows the highest level of clinically observed phenomenon at the organ level. Figure 1b demonstrates graphically the mechanistic knowledge that organ function results from the interactions of multiple cells and types of cells. Figure 1c illustrates what a conceptual mechanistic model would look like when a further finer grained level of resolution is used. Figure 1c represents where the overwhelming bulk of biomedical research is currently being conducted, particularly with respect to the search for drug candidates and mechanisms of disease. Note that the "indistinctness" of Figure 1c is intentional: attempts to "zoom in" on the Figure may increase local clarity, but at the cost of being able to see the range of potential consequences to a particular manipulation.