DARPA News August 14, 2024
Current simulations of biology are either physically accurate or scalable, but not both; in particular, models of a single whole useful cell are incomplete. The behavior of simple model organisms can be partially simulated, but knowledge gaps remain. The Simulating Microbial Systems (SMS) program seeks to create computational simulations that accurately predict the behavior of bacteria in various contexts, create comprehensive, generalizable, and interpretable simulations of E. coli by leveraging high-throughput and automated experimental test beds, and advanced computational techniques. The result will be a comprehensive and extensive software package that will help DoD stakeholders design and execute microbiology experiments on a computer rather than in a laboratory. SMS seeks interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and integrated workflows to generate unknown parameters from new data to inform computational models that can jointly address simulation development and data acquisition/curation. The output of the program will be a software package that can simulate E. coli behavior across many length scales. More Information is available on the upcoming SMS Industry Day on SAM.gov… read more.