Cameron Reeves

Summary of the convergence of Systems Pharmacology and Graphical Modeling

Abstract: There are lots of mistakes made in pharmacology due to the poor communication

between the graphical modeling systems and the pharmacists who use them. BStyle is a

modeling tool that helps enhance the communication between scientists and graphs. It makes it

much easier for scientists to understand and use the graphs effectively.

Introduction:

To understand what I am summarizing about you must know what systems pharmacology is.

Systems pharmacology is simply the study of how medicines and administered drugs affect the

human body. This paper is all about how researchers have started to use graphical models to map

out and help display the human body in helpful ways in order to analyze it with ease. This basic

idea started the thought to have universal, well known symbols biologist would use in their

graphs and models that they used. This had the potential to really speed up the process of making

and analyzing graphs. The bStyle modeling system uses only 5 symbols and 3 types of arrows to

really ease and simplify the communication between the biologists and the modelers. This

summary will give a basic idea of the bStyle software.

Methods and Results

Many graphical tools biologists have to use are too complicated for them to use. Symbols are

confusing and often the software is overwhelming. However, the bStyle graphical modeling

platform is made to be very simple and easy to use. Some tools that really make it stand out

from all the other platforms is it includes a painting feature, a drawing feature, tools to create a
virtual cell membrane and substances, a live model tool, and some text and shape tools. Another

grade at tool included in the bStyle graphing system is the visual model feature. This allows the

user to have a side by side view on multiple tabs or projects they are working on, providing

convenience for the user. Another advantage of the bStyle system is it will allow you to enter the

rates or concentrations of substances into the preferred unit of the user. This allows an almost

custom feel while using the program. Convergence is also a key feature of the bStyle graphical

modeling system. It provides an easy way to be connected through lots of softwares to ease the

distributing and use of your graphs and models.

Discussion

In the article I am summarizing, the graphical modeling systems show gemcitabine actions and

how it works in the metabolism. Gemcitabine is a drug that essentially slows down cancer. It

essentially stops DNA replication before it enters the S phase, causing it to hang out in the G0

phase and never reproduce. The bStyle graphical modeling system is able to effectively make a

virtual version of this and display it in a way for many people to understand it. Another example

show in the research articles talks about how the bStyle modeling platform was used to show the

creation of fat, or adipogenesis. Some advantages that bStyle provided in this example is it was

able to use multiple databases in order to have completely accurate and up to date informational.

Also, biologists were able to put together a visual map in order to display adipogenesis.