Evolution produces promiscuous reuse of component parts, and everything is linked to everything else: a cell is a bag of interacting feedback loops in solution. At a detail level, researchers still only have a sketch of the high points of cellular biochemistry. Any particular protein may have numerous roles, and scientists continue to uncover new important roles for even very well known proteins, those studied heavily for decades in some cases.
Modeling is prevalent and helps. Deducing function with any accuracy requires much better and more comprehensive models of cellular biochemistry, however. Those models lie decades of work from here, meaning that altering genes and watching the outcome in mammalian cells and individuals will be the primary mode of exploration and validation for a while yet.
Modeling is prevalent and helps. Deducing function with any accuracy requires much better and more comprehensive models of cellular biochemistry, however. Those models lie decades of work from here, meaning that altering genes and watching the outcome in mammalian cells and individuals will be the primary mode of exploration and validation for a while yet.