Graphical Modeling Meets Systems Pharmacology

Gene Regul Syst Bio. 2017 Mar 10:11:1177625017691937. doi: 10.1177/1177625017691937. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

A main source of failures in systems projects (including systems pharmacology) is poor communication level and different expectations among the stakeholders. A common and not ambiguous language that is naturally comprehensible by all the involved players is a boost to success. We present bStyle, a modeling tool that adopts a graphical language close enough to cartoons to be a common media to exchange ideas and data and that it is at the same time formal enough to enable modeling, analysis, and dynamic simulations of a system. Data analysis and simulation integrated in the same application are fundamental to understand the mechanisms of actions of drugs: a core aspect of systems pharmacology.

Keywords: Graphical modeling; data analysis; design tools and techniques; modeling and simulation; stochastic and hybrid simulation algorithms; user-centered design.