Towards a Modelling Ecosystem for Libraries of Modular, Reusable Components

CellML 1.1 [1] is an XML-based model exchange protocol with inherent support for modularity.
To assist in answering complex biomedical research questions, we are developing libraries of modular model components that facilitate mathematical model construction. 
Stored in the online, publicly accessible CellML Repository [2], the libraries vary from genetic and associated regulatory components for Synthetic Biology [3] to quantifying the Systems Biology of cardiovascular wall mal-adaptation [4,5].
 

Currently however, using the libraries is not as easy as it should be. Here I describe progress towards a modelling ecosystem to encompasses component search and retrieval, composition, visualization and analysis services [6], building upon research in semantic annotation [7,8], graphical rendering [9], collaborative model storage [10] and large-scale parallel model simulation environments [11,12]. 
 
Development of this ecosystem provides ample motivation to explore the applicability of emerging community standards as well as iteratively refine their efficacy in real biomedical problem scenarios.

[1] Cuellar A. A., et al. (2003) Sim.
[2] http://models.cellml.org
[3] Cooling M. T., et al. (2010) Bioinf.
[4] Ho H., et al. (2010) IFMBE Proc.
[5] Ho H., et al. (2011) in press.
[6] Cooling M. T., et al. (2010) IWBDA Proc.
[7] Cooling M. T. (2011) ISMB Proc.
[8] Misirli G., et al. (2011) Bioinf.
[9] Wimalaratne, S. M., et al. (2009) Bioinf.
[10] Yu, T., et al. (2011) Bioinf.
[11] Sher, A. A. et al. (2010) IEEE EMBS Proc.
[12] Cooling M. T., et al. (2010) NZ eResearch Symp