Laurence Calzone

BIOCHAM: an environment for modeling biological systems and formalizing experimental knowledge

UNLABELLEDnBIOCHAM (the BIOCHemical Abstract Machine) is a software environment for modeling biochemical systems. It is based on two aspects: (1) the analysis and simulation of boolean, kinetic and stochastic models and (2) the formalization of biological properties in temporal logic. BIOCHAM provides tools and languages for describing protein networks with a simple and straightforward syntax, and for integrating biological properties into the model. It then becomes possible to analyze, query, verify and maintain the model with respect to those properties. For kinetic models, BIOCHAM can search for appropriate parameter values in order to reproduce a specific behavior observed in experiments and formalized in temporal logic. Coupled with other methods such as bifurcation diagrams, this search assists the modeler/biologist in the modeling process.nnnAVAILABILITYnBIOCHAM (v. 2.5) is a free software available for download, with example models, at http://contraintes.inria.fr/BIOCHAM/.

Machine learning biochemical networks from temporal logic properties

One central issue in systems biology is the definition of formal languages for describing complex biochemical systems and their behavior at different levels. The biochemical abstract machine BIOCHAM is based on two formal languages, one rule-based language used for modeling biochemical networks, at three abstraction levels corresponding to three semantics: boolean, concentration and population; and one temporal logic language used for formalizing the biological properties of the system. In this paper, we show how the temporal logic language can be turned into a specification language. We describe two algorithms for inferring reaction rules and kinetic parameter values from a temporal specification formalizing the biological data. Then, with an example of the cell cycle control, we illustrate how these machine learning techniques may be useful to the modeler.