Virtual Physiology

the unique truly

simulation software

Physiology and pharmacology experiments
in virtual laboratories
almost like in the real world.

Perfect for practical courses in live science education,
also for online teaching and remote learning.

The Virtual Laboratories

The Virtual Physiology programs are going far beyond conventional teaching tools, offering realistically appearing, fully equipped laboratories on the computer screen for free experimentation.

All stimulation and recording devices are freely adjustable. Mathematical algorithms guarantee for the appropriate reactions of the preparations in all situations, also considering their physiological diversity.

SimHeart

Experiments with an isolated heart in the Langendorff set-up.

SimVessel

Experiments with smooth muscle of vessels and the intestine.

Drug laboratory

Practicing the correct preparation of the requested dilutions.

SimMuscle

Experiments with isolated
nerve-muscle preparations.

SimNerv

Experiments of compound action potential recordings from an isolated nerve.

SimNeuron

Experiments in virtual laboratories for voltage – and current – clamp.

SimHeart and SimVessel feature physiological and pharmacological experiments with the isolated, perfused heart in the Langendorff-setup and with isolated smooth muscle strips of blood vessels (aorta) and the stomach (antrum) to examine the muscle contractions after application of physiolo-gical transmitters (Acetylcholine), hormones (Adrenaline) and diverse drugs like the competitive receptor antagonists (Atropine, Phentolamine, Propranolol) and non-competitive modulators of Ca2+-currents and Ca2+-concentrations (Verapamil, g-Strophantin). An additional “Drug Laboratory” can be used to practise the correct preparation of the requested dilutions for the heart and smooth mucle experiments.

Didactic Aspects

Although the virtual laboratories have originally been considered as minor substitutes of experiments with animal preparations, it turned out that the virtual labs can have major didactic advantages:

The students are doing the experiments without negative emotions from the killing of an animal.

The students must not be afraid to have to kill one more animal if they destroy the preparation.

Only in the virtual laboratories the students feel free to explore the reaction of the preparation on their own – and can also learn from mistakes.

The students can be encouraged to think themselves about the most effective, eventually unconventional stimulus.

Intense supervision as in the wet labs is not needed.

The students can do the experiments also at home on their own computers. 

Generally, technically more challenging experiments like voltage- and patch-clamp recordings, that are unfeasible to be physically carried out in students’ introductory courses, can be realized in silico with a user-friendly interface.

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