ABSTRACT
In the first decade, we focused on understanding the cell, with its networks of interacting proteins. At the time, around 2000, there was massive information on which protein interacts with whom, but it was hard to make sense of this information: the networks of interactions looked hopelessly complex. The topic is physiological circuits that describe how cells and organs communicate with each other. The level of description is relevant to some of the most common and deadly diseases that plague humanity. The mathematical models are powerful because they turn details into useful understanding and new ways to think about medicine. We will understand the fundamental causes of some of the most mysterious diseases: diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and age-related diseases such as lung fibrosis and cancer. For some readers, biological terms like beta cells and hormones are familiar; for others, they are new.
