FM-Sim : A Hybrid Protocol Simulator of Fluorescence Microscopy Neuroscience Assays with Integrated Bayesian Inference

ABSTRACT. We present FM-Sim, a domain-specific simulator for defining and simulating fluorescence microscopy assays. Experimental protocols as performed in vitro may be defined in the simulator. The defined protocols then interact with a computational model of presynaptic behaviour in rodent central nervous system neurons, allowing simulation of fluorescent responses to varying stimuli. Rate parameters of the model may be obtained using Bayesian inference functions integrated into the simulator, given experimental fluorescence observations of the protocol performed in vitro as training data. These trained protocols allow for predictive in silico modelling of potential experimental outcomes prior to time-consuming and expensive in vitro studies.