Variants in SimBiology Models

A variant stores alternate values of model parameters and initial conditions. You can use variants to evaluate model behavior under different experimental or initial conditions, without having to change the existing values or create additional models with the new values.

A variant lets you store an alternate value for any of the following model elements:

• Compartment Capacity property

• Species InitialAmount property

• Parameter Value property

Simulating using a variant does not alter the model original values. The values specified in the variant are temporarily applied to the model during simulation. You can permanently replace the values in your model with the values stored in the variant object by committing it to the model. When you use multiple variants during a simulation, and there are duplicate specifications for a property value, the last occurrence for the property value in the array of variants is used during simulation.

Creating Variants Programmatically

There are two ways to create variants or add variants to a model. To create a standalone variant that is not attached to any model, use sbiovariant. To add a variant to an existing model, use addvariant. Use the commit function to replace the values in your model with the variant values permanently.

For illustrated examples of using variants, see the following.

• Simulate Wild type and Mutant Strains of G Protein Cycle

• Simulate Model of Glucose-Insulin Response with Different Initial Conditions

Creating Variants Graphically

You can interactively create and add variants using the SimBiology Model Builder app. For details, see Represent Biological Variability Using Variants.