Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, developed by Bas Kooijman at the Department of Theoretical Biology in the Free University of Amsterdam is the first general biological theory at the organism level since the theory of evolution. It is a mathematical theory, comprising all taxonomic groups, with extensive empirical testing and already several practical applications, namely in toxicology (where its use is recommended by ISO and OECD), environmental engineering and biological engineering. It is based on simple mechanistic rules for the uptake of energy and nutrients and the consequences of these rules for physiological organization along the life cycles of organisms.
The broad generality of DEB theory opens very significant research opportunities. In particular, the use of data mining and text mining techniques to obtain parameters for the widest set of organisms possible, and its use as a macroscopic theory to establish a framework for systems biology approaches.