Work

Enhancing generalizability of model discovery across parameter space with multi-experiment equation learning for biological systems

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a powerful tool for understanding self-organizing biological systems, but it is computationally intensive and often not analytically tractable. Equation learning (EQL) methods can derive continuum models from ABM data, but they typically require extensive simulations for each parameter set, raising concerns about generalizability. In this work, we extend EQL to Multi-experiment equation learning (ME-EQL) by introducing two methods: (i) one-at-a-time ME-EQL (OAT ME-EQL), which learns individual models for each parameter set and connects them via interpolation, and (ii) embedded structure ME-EQL (ES ME-EQL), which builds a unified model library across parameters. We demonstrate these methods by learning continuum models from a noisy birth-death mean-field model and from an on-lattice agent-based model of birth, death, and migration with spatial structure, often used to investigate cell biology experiments. We show that both methods significantly reduce the relative error in recovering parameters from agent-based simulations, with OAT ME-EQL offering better generalizability across parameter space. Our findings highlight the potential of equation learning from multiple experiments to enhance the generalizability and interpretability of learned models for complex biological systems.

Source: PLoS Computational Biology

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1014161

Authors: Maria-Veronica Ciocanel, John T. Nardini, Kevin B. Flores, Erica M. Rutter, Suzanne S. Sindi, Alexandria Volkening