Pharmaceutical companies are facing an urgent need to both increase their lead compound and clinical candidate portfolios and satisfy market demands for continued innovation and revenue growth. Here, we outline an emerging approach that attempts to facilitate and alleviate many of the current drug discovery issues and problems. This is, in part, achieved through the systematic integration of technologies, which results in a superior output of data and information, thereby enhancing our understanding of biological function, chemico–biological interactions and, ultimately, drug discovery. Systems biology is one new discipline that is positioned to significantly impact this process.