Paper detail

A Genetically Modified Hoare Logic

An important problem when modeling gene networks lies in the identification of parameters, even if we consider a purely discrete framework as the one of René Thomas. Here we are interested in the exhaustive search of all parameter values that are consistent with observed behaviors of the gene network. We present in this article a new approach based on Hoare Logic and on a weakest precondition calculus to generate constraints on possible parameter values. Observed behaviors play the role of "programs" for the classical Hoare logic, and computed weakest preconditions represent the sets of all compatible parameterizations expressed as constraints on parameters. Finally we give a proof of correctness of our Hoare logic for gene networks as well as a proof of completeness based on the computation of the weakest precondition.