Virtual biology

Introduction

Mathematical models of many biological systems and their parts are being intensively developed now. Titles for many of many of them (or embracing projects) highlight they implication to virtual world: virtual cell[…], virtual liver[…], virtual physiological rat[…], virtual physiological human[…], virtual patient[…], etc. Whether we can try to cover all these projects by one term? Yes, virtual biology is a good candidate for this purpose.

A lot of mathematical models of biological systems and their parts were developed using systems approach: systems biology, systems physiology, systems medicine and systems pharmacology.

Titles for many of many of these models (or embracing projects) highlight they implication to virtual world: virtual cell, virtual liver, virtual physiological rat, virtual physiological human, virtual patient, etc. Whether we can try to cover all these projects by one term? Yes, virtual biology is a good candidate for this purpose.

So here we introduce the concept of virtual biology:
Virtual biology is generalization for systems -ology approaches related with mathematical models in biology and medicine: systems biology, systems physiology, systems medicine and systems pharmacology.

To define precise meaning of virtual biology we have developed these top level ontology using MediaWiki technology. Wiki technology allows a community to refine and maintain the ontology to represent a consensus view.

Virtual biology is umbrella for systems ology sciences

• systems biology
• systems physiology
• systems pharmacology.

Roughly they corresponds:

• systems biology - virtual cell
• systems physiology - virtual human and physiological models of other high eukaryote organism, for example virtual rat.
• systems pharmacology - virtual patient.

The core of all systems ology sciences are mathematical models that should reproduce dynamics of corresponding biological systems.

Projects

There are a number of ongoing large international projects that we can attribute to virtual biology.

Some of them explicitly include word 'virtual' in their title:

• virtual cell[ ],
• virtual liver[],
• virtual physiological rat [1],
• virtual physiological human[],
• virtual patient[].

Category:virtual biology projects contains more complete list of these projects.