An Agent-based Model for the Pattern Formation in Drosophila Melanogaster

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Sara Montagna, Nicola Donati, Andrea Omicini
Harold Fellermann, Mark Dörr, Martin M. Hanczyc, Lone Ladegaard Laursen, Sarah Maurer, Daniel Merkle, Pierre-Alain Monnard, Kasper Stoy, Steen Rasmussen (eds.)
Artificial Life XII, chapter 21, pages 110–117
The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA
August 2010

The hierarchical organisation of biological systems plays a crucial role in the pattern formation of gene expression resulting from the morphogenetic processes. Being able to reproduce the systems dynamics at different levels of such a hierarchy might be very useful for studying such a complex phenomenon of self-organisation. In this paper we propose the adoption of the agent-based model as an approach capable of capture multi-level dynamics.
We then realise an agent-based model of ~Drosophila Melanogaster~ morphogenesis demonstrating its capability of reproducing the expression pattern of the embryo. 

funding project
wrench NETSCALE — Ricostruzione e modellazione delle dinamiche molecolari e genetiche alla base della precoce regionalizzazione degli embrioni di zebrafish e di seaurchin (01/07/2008–30/06/2010)