Editorial - Selected papers from the 'Omics: Assembling Systems Biology' Workshop

System-oriented biological research (Systems Biology) is a vibrant field which aims to establish the higher-order principles behind complex multi-cellular processes. This classic theme of the Life Sciences was recently reinforced with a new armamentarium of high-throughput molecular tools. These omics approaches ('omes', greek for 'complete') allow us to now study biological behaviour in unprecedented width and detail. Consequently, Systems Biology is seen to bear the potential for major discoveries in the Life Sciences.