“Are we there yet? When are we gonna be there?” Who does not recall the little voices of backseat drivers a couple of hours into a 300-mile trip? We smile, and somewhat exhausted may offer a platitude like “We'll get there when we get there,” which may grant us a short reprieve, although we know full well that it will only confuse a young, inquisitive mind.

Systems biology is in quite a similar situation. The young endeavor has been receiving a lot of attention, and excitement about its potential has led to widespread enthusiasm and support. These are very positive developments indeed, but we must realize that they also come with a hidden danger: the public, the funding agencies, and even colleagues from more traditional biological fields are not infinitely patient, and systems biology must expect that the initial hype and sometimes exaggerated promises may eventually turn into demands for major tangible successes. We have invested a lot; what have we gotten in return? Why has systems biology not yet cured cancer? Except for a very few isolated cases, personalized medicine is still a distant fantasy; when will we enjoy its fruits? Systems and synthetic biology still look like academic, if not totally esoteric, pursuits; what have they produced that we could not have achieved with traditional means?

There is no doubt: systems biology is not “there yet.” Maybe worse, it is entirely unpredictable when we are “gonna be there.” And in contrast to small children, the public and the national funding agencies can seldom be mollified with statements such as “Trust us, we'll get there” … with the occasional addition of “eventually” under our breath. Yes, we are a long way away from “there,” but we must not let doubt distract us from our noble quest. Systems biology is still young and simply has no choice but to stay the course and march onward, while asking for patience and carefully documenting our initially modest successes along the way. After all, we systems biologists are convinced to the core of our being that there is no alternative to dedicating our most fervent efforts to advancing this exciting field of endeavor, and we can indeed point to some early successes.