From Computer Science to Biology and Back

This special issue is devoted to the theory and applications of formal methods in biology. This is a fast-developing area of computer science encompassing a broad range of research directions including, but not limited to: modeling, analysis and simulation tools for biology; quantitative and qualitative mod- eling frameworks; spatial languages and calculi; model checking; abstract in- terpretation; type systems; prediction of biological behavior from incomplete information; complex networks; biomolecular dynamics; emergence of proper- ties in complex biological and medical systems; tools for parallel, distributed, and multi-resolution simulation methods.