The definition of physiome is the quantitative description of the physiological dynamics or functions of the intact organism. This project is many times as complex as the genome project. Its goal is to systematize current and future biophysical, biochemical, and physiological knowledge into a framework where it can be used for prediction. The Project consists of the databasing of biological information for rapid retrieval, and the systematic organization of that information into descriptive schema and computational models of integrated systems. Networking is central to the success of the Project.
Models come in different forms.
They provide cartoons of systems that convey in a glance an overview of a system, but are not predictive. Since highly complex systems are not intuitively understandable, the comprehensive mathematical models should be designed so that an explorer begins with a simple version, and can use it as the entry into the deeper, more complete and complex versions. Only a very comprehensive model can give correct responses to all of these. Suppose the model to be adequate to such tasks, then the explorer might be yet more demanding, asking for not only the short term acute responses, but also the long-term responses. Through disproof and invention of a replacement hypothesis the science is advanced.