[Campbell Biology P.496] Why is the systems biology approach particularly valuable in cancer... | Practice Question

Why is the systems biology approach particularly valuable in cancer research, as described in the text?

  • A: It allows for the rapid development of new high-throughput techniques, directly reducing the cost of cancer treatment.
  • B: It enables the analysis of many interacting genes and gene products together, providing insights into how biological system changes lead to cancer.
  • C: It primarily focuses on identifying single gene mutations responsible for rare forms of cancer, simplifying targeted therapy development.
  • D: It is exclusively used to study metastatic tumors, confirming that 90% of cancer deaths are caused by specific primary tumor types.

Explanation

The text states: 'This project is another example of systems biology in which many interacting genes and gene products are analyzed together as a group. Under the joint leadership of the National Cancer Institute and the NIH, the project aimed to determine how changes in biological systems lead to cancer.' This highlights the value of analyzing multiple interacting components to understand cancer progression.