A Language for Modeling And Optimizing Experimental Biological Protocols

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new language that integrates modeling and optimization of biological protocols with experimental data, enabling automated analysis and uncertainty management in laboratory procedures.

Contribution

It presents a novel language with probabilistic semantics for modeling and optimizing biochemical protocols, bridging the gap between models and experimental steps.

Findings

Framework enables automated protocol analysis and optimization

Probabilistic semantics formalize uncertainties in data and models

Case studies demonstrate practical application to Gibson assembly

Abstract

Automation is becoming ubiquitous in all laboratory activities, leading towards precisely defined and codified laboratory protocols. However, the integration between laboratory protocols and mathematical models is still lacking. Models describe physical processes, while protocols define the steps carried out during an experiment: neither cover the domain of the other, although they both attempt to characterize the same phenomena. We should ideally start from an integrated description of both the model and the steps carried out to test it, to concurrently analyze uncertainties in model parameters, equipment tolerances, and data collection. To this end, we present a language to model and optimize experimental biochemical protocols that facilitates such an integrated description, and that can be combined with experimental data. We provide a probabilistic semantics for our language based on a Bayesian interpretation that formally characterizes the uncertainties in both the data collection, the underlying model, and the protocol operations. On a set of case studies we illustrate how the resulting framework allows for automated analysis and optimization of experimental protocols, including Gibson assembly protocols.