Stochastic Method for the Simulation of Biochemical Systems on a Digital Computer

Abstract

AN understanding of cellular biochemistry and its control mechanisms demands an appreciation of the kinetics of systems containing many enzymes and substrates. Such systems are too complex for their kinetics to be represented by simple equations of the Michaelis–Menten type, and progress has only been made by the use of computers. Several workers^1,2 have described digital computer solutions of differential equations representing the concentrations of each reactant. These solutions, however, require much computer time because of the nature of the mathematics of enzyme kinetics. This communication describes a stochastic method of calculating the kinetic behaviour of biochemical systems, which is more efficient than the methods formerly used.