Digital Beings as an option to study gut flora evolution and adaptation

TL;DR

This paper introduces Digital Beings, a computational model simulating host-bacteria interactions, to study gut flora evolution and its effects on behavior and longevity, reducing reliance on animal testing.

Contribution

The novel Digital Beings model combines dynamic systems and genetic algorithms to replicate gut microbiota effects on host behavior and health, validated against prior rat and human studies.

Findings

Digital Beings successfully reproduce known microbiota-behavior relationships.

The model supports hypothesis testing and experimental design.

Potential to reduce in vivo animal testing.

Abstract

In this work, we introduce a computational model for the study of the host-bacteria interaction and the influence of the intestinal microbiota on the behavior and feeding pattern of an individual. The model is based on digital entities, which we've called Digital Beings (DBs), modeled using dynamic systems and genetic algorithms. We have successfully tested the use of the DBs by reproducing observation in previously made studies using rats and humans. Among these studies, we highlight those on how the bacteria in an individual's stomach could influence their eating behavior and how a controlled and continuous diet can affect the longevity of a certain population. Our results point that the Digital Beings can be used as a tool for supporting the devising of experiments and corroborating with theoretical hypotheses, reducing the number of in vivo tests.