BCSGEN
Biochemical Space language software tool
Systems biology provides multiple formalisms for modelling of biochemical processes among which rule-based approach seems to be one of the most suitable as it allows compact mechanistic description of complex processes. The rule-based language called Biochemical Space Language (BCSL) combines advantages of different approaches and makes thus an effort to overcome several problems of existing solutions. BCSgen is a software providing basic functionality to write, maintain, and analyse models written in BCSL.
BCSL is a part of a general framework developed for comprehensive modelling in systems biology. BCSL relies on the formal basis of the rule-based methodology while preserving user-friendly syntax of plain chemical equations. BCSL combines the following aspects:
- human-readability improving user-friendly usability of the language,
- executability allowing unique formal analysis and consistency checking at the level of the language,
- universality allowing integration of different biochemical mechanisms,
- scalability and compactness of the specification,
- hierarchical specification and composability of chemical entities,
- support for genome-scale annotation.
The key features of the Biochemical Space Language software tool (BSCgen) are:
- Interactive editor - create and edit models, which can be edited with automatic syntax highlighting and error messaging.
- PCTL analysis - analyse BCSL models with respect to PCTL properties (model checking and parameter synthesis).
- Simulation - simulate models in particular setting using either deterministic or stochastic approach.
- Visualisation - visualise simulation times series, explore transition systems of models, and visualise parameter synthesis results.
use online: https://biodivine-vm.fi.muni.cz/galaxy/
download: https://github.com/sybila/eBCSgen
tutorial and documentation: https://github.com/sybila/eBCSgen/wiki
licence: BCSgen source code is licensed under the Academic Free License version 3.0.