OpenWorm

OpenWorm aims to build the first comprehensive computational model of the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic roundworm. With only a thousand cells, it solves basic problems such as feeding, mate-finding and predator avoidance. Despite being extremely well studied in biology, this organism still eludes a deep, principled understanding of its biology. We are using a bottom-up approach, aimed at observing the worm behaviour emerge from a simulation of data derived from scientific experiments carried out over the past decade. To do so we are incorporating the data available in the scientific community into software models. We are engineering Geppetto and Sibernetic, open-source simulation platforms, to be able to run these different models in concert. We are also forging new collaborations with universities and research institutes to collect data that fill in the gaps All the code we produce in the OpenWorm project is Open Source and available on GitHub.

OpenWorm项目致力于构建线虫（Caenorhabditis elegans，简称C. elegans）的首个全面计算模型，该线虫是一种微小的圆形线虫。尽管其细胞数量仅有千余，却能解决诸如进食、寻找配偶和躲避捕食者等基本问题。尽管在生物学领域已得到了极其深入的研究，但该生物仍未能揭示其生物学本质的深刻原理。本项目采用自下而上的研究方法，旨在通过模拟过去十年中进行的科学实验所得数据，观察线虫行为的产生。为此，我们将科学界现有的数据纳入软件模型中。我们正在开发Geppetto和Sibernetic等开源模拟平台，以便能够协同运行这些不同的模型。此外，我们还在与大学和研究机构建立新的合作关系，以收集填补数据空白的信息。OpenWorm项目所产生的所有代码均为开源，并可在GitHub上获取。