Statistical model checking for biological applications

Abstract

In this paper, we survey recent work on the use of statistical model checking techniques for biological applications. We begin with an overview of the basic modelling techniques for biochemical reactions and their corresponding stochastic simulation algorithm—the Gillespie algorithm. We continue by giving a brief description of the relation between stochastic models and continuous (ordinary differential equation) models. Next, we present a literature survey, divided into two general areas. In the first area, we focus on works addressing verification of biological models, while in the second area we focus on papers tackling the parameter synthesis problem. We conclude with some open problems and directions for further research.