The International Society for Systems Biology (ISSB) is a newly-formed society aimed at advancing world-wide systems biology research by providing a forum for scientific discussions and various academic services. The annual International Conference on Systems Biology (ICSB) serves as the main meeting for the society; in addition, ISSB will serve to organize and endorse a series of symposiums, workshops, and educational programs; and finally, it will soon be allied with an official society journal. The ISSB helps coordinate researchers to form alliances for meeting the unique needs of multidisciplinary and international systems biology research.