Call For Papers
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Second International Workshop

From Biology To Concurrency and back (FBTC 2008)

A Satellite Workshop of ICALP 2008

July 12, 2008, Reykjavik, Iceland

http://www.cs.le.ac.uk/events/FBTC2008

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SUMMARY:

In computational theory, several formal approaches make use of
biology as inspiration for the development of problem solving techniques.
Most of them are taken from complex, inherently concurrent, systems.
Some examples of "biologically inspired computing" are artificial immune
systems, cellular automata, genetic algorithms, membrane computing,
neural networks, organic computing, swarm intelligence.

On the other hand, concurrency has begun to inspire an emerging research
area in Biology. Regev and Shapiro coined the Cells-as-Computation
metaphor as the "much-needed abstraction for biomolecular systems".
Computers and biomolecular systems both start from a small set of
elementary components from which, layer by layer, more complex entities
are constructed with evermore sophisticated functions. In computational
systems biology, the abstractions, tools and methods used to specify and
study concurrent and distributed systems can therefore be naturally
adopted to model and better understand the complex biomolecular systems.

In this workshop we intend to explore this "cross-fertilization" between
computational sciences and biology, with a special attention to
concurrent models in biology and formal foundations in bio-inspired
computing. Concurrency theory permits hypotheses generation and testing.
Models can therefore be simulated, analyzed, checked and validated.
A growing "arsenal" of theoretical models, logics, and tools for
understanding concurrent systems has been developed. We recognize that
concurrency permeates not only computer systems but also nature and
living organisms. We can find concurrency at the molecular level as well
as at those of cells, organs, individuals, communities and ecological
systems. Also, biologically inspired computing could benefit from
concurrency theory.

SPECIFIC TOPICS OF INTEREST INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO):

* Biologically inspired developments in concurrency theory;
* Biologically inspired models and software tools for concurrent
computation;
* Applications of computer science formalisms with concurrency flavour,
such as process algebras, Petri nets, automata, statecharts, rewrite
systems, P systems, in systems biology;
* Challenges in compositional modelling of biological systems at
different level of detail: molecular, cellular, tissue, organs,
organism, community;
* Use of concurrency software tools in the modelling, simulation and
analysis of biological systems.

PAPER SUBMISSION:

We solicit unpublished papers reporting on original research on the
topics of interest of FBTC workshops. The title and the abstract of each
paper should be sent to the email address of the workshop by

Wednesday 12 of March, 2008

and papers should be submitted via EasyChair
(http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fbtc2008) by

Wednesday 19 of March 2008.

Authors will be notified of acceptance by Friday, 2 May 2008.
Submissions from the PC members are allowed.

Prospective authors may need to register with EasyChair first if they do
not have an account there yet. Papers should take the form of a pdf file
in ENTCS format, whose length should not exceed 15 pages. Please follow
the instructions at http://www.entcs.org/prelim.html for downloading
the correct prentcsmacro.sty file for FBTC 2008. If necessary, detailed
proofs of technical results and other additional information can be
included in a clearly-labelled "Appendix for referees". This is in
addition to 15 pages stated above; and the material may be read at
the discretion of the PC but will be included in the final version of
the paper. Submissions from the PC members are allowed.

Proceedings: Bound preliminary proceedings will be available at
the meeting. The final proceedings of the workshop will appear
as a volume in the ENTCS series.

IMPORTANT DATES:

* Submission of title and abstract: 12 March 2008
* Submission of paper: 19 March 2008
* Notification: 2 May 2008
* Final version: 23 May 2008
* Workshop: Saturday, 12 July 2008
* Final ENTCS version: 22 August 2008

The current issue of PLoS Computational Biology features a paper on how a science like computational biology can be promoted in a developing country like Cuba.
For details, see

Pons T, Montero LA, Febles JP (2007) Computational Biology in Cuba: An Opportunity to Promote Science in a Developing Country. PLoS Comput Biol 3(11): e227
doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030227 (Open Access).