Virtual Cells: From Conceptual Frameworks to Biomedical Applications

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bhardwaj, Saurabh, Kumar, Gaurav, Yang, Haochen, Bhardwaj, Shaurya, Wang, Qun, Shen, Minjie, Wang, Yizhi, De Souza, Cristabelle Madona
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bhardwaj, Saurabh
Kumar, Gaurav
Yang, Haochen
Bhardwaj, Shaurya
Wang, Qun
Shen, Minjie
Wang, Yizhi
De Souza, Cristabelle Madona
author_facet Bhardwaj, Saurabh
Kumar, Gaurav
Yang, Haochen
Bhardwaj, Shaurya
Wang, Qun
Shen, Minjie
Wang, Yizhi
De Souza, Cristabelle Madona
contents The challenge of translating vast, multimodal biological data into predictive and mechanistic understanding of cellular function is a central theme in modern biology. Virtual cells, or digital cellular twins, have emerged as a critical paradigm to meet this challenge by creating integrative computational models of cellular processes. This review synthesizes the evolution and current state of the virtual cell, from foundational mechanistic frameworks like the Virtual Cell that employ deterministic and stochastic simulations to the recent transformative impact of artificial intelligence and foundation models. We examine the core technological pillars required to build these models, including the integration of various data types, such as single-cell and spatial omics, the spectrum of modeling approaches, and the bioengineering principles that connect simulation to application. We further discuss key applications, frameworks for model benchmarking and validation, and the significant hurdles that remain, including computational scalability, parameter inference, and ethical considerations, which provides a roadmap for development of predictive virtual cells that promise to revolutionize biomedical research and clinical practice.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_18220
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Virtual Cells: From Conceptual Frameworks to Biomedical Applications
Bhardwaj, Saurabh
Kumar, Gaurav
Yang, Haochen
Bhardwaj, Shaurya
Wang, Qun
Shen, Minjie
Wang, Yizhi
De Souza, Cristabelle Madona
Quantitative Methods
The challenge of translating vast, multimodal biological data into predictive and mechanistic understanding of cellular function is a central theme in modern biology. Virtual cells, or digital cellular twins, have emerged as a critical paradigm to meet this challenge by creating integrative computational models of cellular processes. This review synthesizes the evolution and current state of the virtual cell, from foundational mechanistic frameworks like the Virtual Cell that employ deterministic and stochastic simulations to the recent transformative impact of artificial intelligence and foundation models. We examine the core technological pillars required to build these models, including the integration of various data types, such as single-cell and spatial omics, the spectrum of modeling approaches, and the bioengineering principles that connect simulation to application. We further discuss key applications, frameworks for model benchmarking and validation, and the significant hurdles that remain, including computational scalability, parameter inference, and ethical considerations, which provides a roadmap for development of predictive virtual cells that promise to revolutionize biomedical research and clinical practice.
title Virtual Cells: From Conceptual Frameworks to Biomedical Applications
topic Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18220