The future of drug development: the paradigm shift towards systems therapeutics

Progress in cell biology, genetics, molecular, and systems pharmacology is the driving force behind a current paradigm shift in drug research. This paradigm shift shapes new avenues for advanced treatments that are commonly referred to as 'systems therapeutics'. Systems therapeutics differ in many ways from current drugs because they target biological networks rather than single transduction pathways, and affect disease processes rather than physiological processes. Here, we examine how the paradigm shift towards systems therapeutics will change current scientific concepts of the interactions between drugs and diseases, the organization of research and development, as well as the clinical use and therapeutic evaluations of therapeutic interventions.