Simulator for Bioassay

Summary

• This program is a computer-based simulator that reproduces the bioassay training items used in student training at Matsumoto Dental University.

How to run

• Access this page.

About training procedures

Procedures for animal experiments on which the simulator is based

1. Preparation
   • Determine the lidocaine dose and number of mice in each group
   • Prepare the lidocaine solution
2. Experiments
   • Inject lidocaine intraperitoneally to mice to achieve the specified dose
   • Place the mouse on a wire mesh tilted at a 45° angle
   • A convulsion is considered to have occurred if the mouse slides down the wire mesh by more than 15 cm. Death is considered to have occurred if no movement is observed.
3. Calculation of the TD₅₀ and LD₅₀
   • Calculate using probit regression analysis

How to use the simulator

Initial Screen

1. Select the language from the pull-down menu at the bottom of the screen (the following explanation is for the Japanese screen).
2. Press the "Experiment" button to go to the Experiment screen.
3. Press the "TD₅₀/LD₅₀ calculation" button to go to the Calculation screen.
4. Press the "Settings" button to go to the Settings screen.
   • Turn movie playback on/off
   • Set the dose (for TD₅₀ or LD₅₀).

Experiment Screen

1. Mouse weights are displayed. Select the drug concentration to be used from the pull-down menu and calculate the dose.
2. If necessary, select the evaluation time (maximum observation time) from the pull-down menu.
3. Press the "Administration" button to play the video and display the results.
4. Press "NewExp." button and then start the next experiment.
5. Press the "Back" button to return to the initial screen.

TD₅₀/LD₅₀ Calculation Screen

1. Enter the number of animals in each group in "Total" and the number of responding animals in "Response"
2. Press the "Calculate" button to display the results, table, and graph.
3. Press the "Back" button to return to the initial screen.

Settings Screen

1. Select whether to turn video playback on or off from the pull-down menu.
2. Select the dose settings (for TD₅₀ and LD₅₀).
3. Press the "Change" button to apply the changes; press the "Cancel" button to return to the initial screen without applying the changes.

Notes on this simulator

• This simulator is modeled based on actual training results, but it may not necessarily yield the same results as animal experiments.

Reference

A paper on the model formula and parameter values used in this simulator.

• Ara T, Kitamura H, Hung Y-C, Uchida K-i. Construction and Evaluation of a Statistical Model for a Probit Method Simulator in Pharmacological Education. Applied Biosciences. 2025; 4(4):50. (https://doi.org/10.3390/applbiosci4040050)
• Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17406038)

How to build the environment (for teachers)

• Since it is released under the MIT License, it can be used and modified for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.
• Build the environment using one of the following methods.
  1. Access the page published on GitHub
     • https://toshi-ara.github.io/sim-bioassay
     • This is the easiest, and I think it would be a good idea to post this link on a page that is easy for students to access (such as a classroom-specific page).
  2. Install on your own web server (Please consult an expert)
     • When you click the Code button on this page, Download ZIP will be displayed, so click it. A file named sim-bioassay-main.zip will be saved.
     • Unzip the file,
     • Place the contents of the above docs folder in the appropriate location on the web server (Please change the folder name as appropriate).
     • You can use the simulator by accessing the web server.

When changing the source code (for developers only)

How to display license

• If you want to modify program, please edit the LICENSE file. Please add the copyright holder after Copyright (c) 2025 ARA Toshiaki and include this LICENSE file in the source code.

How to build the code

• Requires npm (JavaScript package management system)
• Run the following command with npm installed

git clone https://github.com/toshi-ara/sim-bioassay.git
# git clone git@github.com:toshi-ara/sim-bioassay.git  # when ssh is used
cd simla-ts

npm install
npm run build

ChangeLog

v1.2.2 (2026-3-4)

• Improve CSS

v1.2.1 (2026-3-2)

• Display drug name
• Updated npm packages

v1.2.0 (2026-1-28)

• Changed to a single HTML file (no web server required)
• Updated npm packages

v1.1.0 (2025-12-10)

• Shorten movies
• Corrected Type
• Updated npm packages

v1.0.4 (2025-12-4)

• Fixed an issue where injection movie dows not play

v1.0.3 (2025-11-28)

• Fixed tsconfig.json options
• Changed the injection movie to only play on the first run

v1.0.2 (2025-11-27)

• move ts and css folder to src folder
• delete docs folder

v1.0.1 (2025-11-25)

• Change movie file to mp4

v1.0.0 (2025-11-23)

• Initial release

About this program

• Author: Matsumoto Dental University, Department of Pharmacology, Toshiaki Ara
• Year:2025
• License: MIT License