SiREn (simulation of receptors and enzymes): An interactive simulation of enzyme kinetics and pharmacodynamic models

Abstract

In an era of distance learning and the transition to virtual classrooms, there is a need for strategies to supplement online lectures in an interactive, dynamic way. At California Northstate University, there was a student-observed need to enhance distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this project, we developed a computer simulation program SiREn (Simulation of Receptors and Enzymes) as one attempt to enhance student learning and retention of key concepts in Enzyme Kinetics and Pharmacodynamics. SiREn is a student-driven idea, and an interprofessional collaboration between members of the College of Health Sciences, College of Graduate Studies, and College of Medicine at California Northstate University. This software was implemented in LabVIEW© language (National Instruments, Inc) and runs on both Windows and Mac Operating Systems. SiREn includes interactive simulations of the Michaelis-Menten, Lineweaver-Burk, Dose-Response, Therapeutic-Index models. All the relevant parameters for the simulation such as substrate concentration, Km, Vmax, and Kd can easily be modified by the user. Two versions of the software were developed: SiREn1 with a teaching emphasis for the College of Graduate Studies and SiREn2 customized for the College of Health Sciences. The latter has already been used in a Pharmacology class in the Spring 2022 semester. Feedback was collected from 16 pharmacology students. Overall, 63% of the users felt that SiREn2 improved their understanding of the Therapeutic Index concept, and 68.8% felt that SiREn2 facilitated self-paced, interactive learning by allowing a dynamic visualization of the formulas under different scenarios. These preliminary results suggest that integrating simulation for complex models is a useful addition to distance learning. This is the first stage of an ongoing project, and SiREn1 is currently being implemented in the Fall 2022 Pharmacology Course with added student suggestions for improvement.