National Resource for
Mechanistic Modeling of Cellular Systems

This Resource formally brings together two foundational software packages, COPASI and Virtual Cell (VCell). The Resource will maintain and enhance these two widely used shared modeling tools. As the VCell and COPASI platforms were developed over the last two decades, researchers have come to recognize and appreciate the ability to explore quantitative experimental data within the context of specific mechanistic hypotheses and to use the predictive power of simulation for experimental design. Today computational analysis is a driving force in complex experiments while computational models are leading to the development of experimental methods.

Over the years, the VCell and COPASI development teams have been committed to educating our user communities on the value of mathematical modeling and how to utilize modeling techniques in their research. In parallel, the team has been actively committed to supporting the expanding field of computational cell biology. Accordingly, we have created this Computational Cell Biology website as a source of information about cell biology modeling for the entire research community. Here you can find out about standards, other software tools and the many available workshops for in depth training throughout the year. Visit the links to learn more about COPASI or VCell as well as SpringSaLaD, a newer software tool being developed here at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.