Modelling of Genetic Regulatory Mechanisms with GReg

TL;DR

This paper introduces a domain-specific language (DSL) for modeling genetic regulatory mechanisms, enabling non-experts to utilize comprehensive model checking techniques to explore all possible system behaviors.

Contribution

It presents a new DSL that makes complex model checking accessible for biological system modeling, bridging the gap between IT tools and life sciences.

Findings

Enables exploration of all possible behaviors of genetic regulatory systems.

Provides a user-friendly language for non-experts in biology.

Integrates complex model checking techniques with accessible syntax.

Abstract

Most available tools propose simulation frameworks to study models of biological systems, but simulation only explores a few of the most probable behaviours of the system. On the contrary, techniques such as model checking, coming from IT-systems analysis, explore all the possible behaviours of the modelled systems, thus helping to identify emergent properties. A main drawback from most model checking tools in the life sciences domain is that they take as input a language designed for computer scientists, that is not easily understood by non-expert users. We propose in this article an approach based on DSL. It provides a comprehensible language to describe the system while allowing the use of complex and powerful underlying model checking techniques.