{"id":157181,"date":"2009-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/msr-research-item\/a-visual-process-calculus-for-biology\/"},"modified":"2018-10-16T21:34:13","modified_gmt":"2018-10-17T04:34:13","slug":"a-visual-process-calculus-for-biology","status":"publish","type":"msr-research-item","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/publication\/a-visual-process-calculus-for-biology\/","title":{"rendered":"A Visual Process Calculus for Biology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This chapter presents a visual process calculus for designing and simulating computer models of biological systems. The calculus is based on a graphical variant of stochastic pi-calculus extended with mobile compartments, and the simulation algorithm is based on standard kinetic theory of physical chemistry. The calculus forms the basis of a formal visual programming language for biology. The basic primitives of the calculus are first introduced by a series of examples involving genes and proteins. More complex features of the calculus are then illustrated by examples involving gene networks, cell differentiation, and immune system response. The main benefit of the calculus is its ability to model large systems incrementally, by directly composing simpler models of subsystems. The formal nature of the calculus also facilitates mathematical analysis of models, which in future could help provide insight into some of the underlying properties of biological systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This chapter presents a visual process calculus for designing and simulating computer models of biological systems. The calculus is based on a graphical variant of stochastic pi-calculus extended with mobile compartments, and the simulation algorithm is based on standard kinetic theory of physical chemistry. The calculus forms the basis of a formal visual programming language […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"msr-url-field":"","msr-podcast-episode":"","msrModifiedDate":"","msrModifiedDateEnabled":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","footnotes":""},"msr-content-type":[3],"msr-research-highlight":[],"research-area":[13546],"msr-publication-type":[193721],"msr-product-type":[],"msr-focus-area":[],"msr-platform":[],"msr-download-source":[],"msr-locale":[268875],"msr-post-option":[],"msr-field-of-study":[],"msr-conference":[],"msr-journal":[],"msr-impact-theme":[],"msr-pillar":[],"class_list":["post-157181","msr-research-item","type-msr-research-item","status-publish","hentry","msr-research-area-computational-sciences-mathematics","msr-locale-en_us"],"msr_publishername":"Jones and Bartlett Publishers","msr_edition":"Symbolic Systems Biology: Theory and Methods","msr_affiliation":"","msr_published_date":"2009-01-01","msr_host":"","msr_duration":"","msr_version":"","msr_speaker":"","msr_other_contributors":"","msr_booktitle":"Symbolic Systems Biology: Theory and Methods","msr_pages_string":"","msr_chapter":"","msr_isbn":"","msr_journal":"","msr_volume":"","msr_number":"","msr_editors":"","msr_series":"","msr_issue":"","msr_organization":"","msr_how_published":"","msr_notes":"","msr_highlight_text":"","msr_release_tracker_id":"","msr_original_fields_of_study":"","msr_download_urls":"","msr_external_url":"","msr_secondary_video_url":"","msr_longbiography":"","msr_microsoftintellectualproperty":1,"msr_main_download":"207912","msr_publicationurl":"","msr_doi":"","msr_publication_uploader":[{"type":"file","title":"SSB09-preliminary.pdf","viewUrl":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SSB09-preliminary.pdf","id":207912,"label_id":0}],"msr_related_uploader":"","msr_attachments":[{"id":207912,"url":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SSB09-preliminary.pdf"}],"msr-author-ordering":[{"type":"user_nicename","value":"aphillip","user_id":31075,"rest_url":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/microsoft-research\/v1\/researchers?person=aphillip"}],"msr_impact_theme":[],"msr_research_lab":[],"msr_event":[],"msr_group":[],"msr_project":[544545,170002],"publication":[],"video":[],"download":[],"msr_publication_type":"inbook","related_content":{"projects":[{"ID":544545,"post_title":"Station B","post_name":"stationb","post_type":"msr-project","post_date":"2019-03-11 15:56:07","post_modified":"2021-09-28 09:10:36","post_status":"publish","permalink":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/project\/stationb\/","post_excerpt":"Our work on the Station B project has now been retired. We continue to actively explore the exciting intersection of computing and life sciences, with other projects located on\u00a0www.microsoft.com\/research. Building a platform for programming biology The ability to program biology could enable fundamental breakthroughs across a broad range of industries, including medicine, agriculture, food, construction, textiles, materials and chemicals. It could also help lay the foundation for a future bioeconomy based on sustainable technology. Despite…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-project\/544545"}]}},{"ID":170002,"post_title":"Stochastic Pi Machine","post_name":"stochastic-pi-machine","post_type":"msr-project","post_date":"2008-11-21 03:48:26","post_modified":"2020-03-06 10:54:09","post_status":"publish","permalink":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/project\/stochastic-pi-machine\/","post_excerpt":"The Stochastic Pi Machine (SPiM) is a programming language for designing and simulating computer models of biological processes. The language is based on a mathematical formalism known as the pi-calculus, and the simulation algorithm is based on standard kinetic theory of physical chemistry. The language features a simple graphical notation for modelling a range of biological systems, and can be used to model large systems incrementally, by directly composing simpler models of subsystems","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-project\/170002"}]}}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-research-item\/157181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-research-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/msr-research-item"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-research-item\/157181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":537012,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-research-item\/157181\/revisions\/537012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"msr-content-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-content-type?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-research-highlight","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-research-highlight?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-research-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-area?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-publication-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-publication-type?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-product-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-product-type?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-focus-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-focus-area?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-platform?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-download-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-download-source?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-locale","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-locale?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-post-option","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-post-option?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-field-of-study","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-field-of-study?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-conference","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-conference?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-journal","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-journal?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-impact-theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-impact-theme?post=157181"},{"taxonomy":"msr-pillar","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-pillar?post=157181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}