PMID- 35647580 OWN - NLM STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE LR - 20220716 IS - 2673-7647 (Electronic) IS - 2673-7647 (Linking) VI - 2 DP - 2022 Apr TI - A Brave New World: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Systems Biology. LID - 873478 [pii] LID - 10.3389/fbinf.2022.873478 [doi] AB - How we interact with computer graphics has not changed significantly from viewing 2D text and images on a flatscreen since their invention. Yet, recent advances in computing technology, internetworked devices and gaming are driving the design and development of new ideas in other modes of human-computer interfaces (HCIs). Virtual Reality (VR) technology uses computers and HCIs to create the feeling of immersion in a three-dimensional (3D) environment that contains interactive objects with a sense of spatial presence, where objects have a spatial location relative to, and independent of the users. While this virtual environment does not necessarily match the real world, by creating the illusion of reality, it helps users leverage the full range of human sensory capabilities. Similarly, Augmented Reality (AR), superimposes virtual images to the real world. Because humans learn the physical world through a gradual sensory familiarization, these immersive visualizations enable gaining familiarity with biological systems not realizable in the physical world (e.g., allosteric regulatory networks within a protein or biomolecular pathways inside a cell). As VR/AR interfaces are anticipated to be explosive in consumer markets, systems biologists will be more immersed into their world. Here we introduce a brief history of VR/AR, their current roles in systems biology, and advantages and disadvantages in augmenting user abilities. We next argue that in systems biology, VR/AR technologies will be most useful in visually exploring and communicating data; performing virtual experiments; and education/teaching. Finally, we discuss our perspective on future directions for VR/AR in systems biology. FAU - Turhan, Berk AU - Turhan B AD - Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States. AD - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey. FAU - Gumus, Zeynep H AU - Gumus ZH AD - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey. AD - Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States. LA - eng GR - R33 CA263705/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States PT - Journal Article DEP - 20220406 PL - Switzerland TA - Front Bioinform JT - Frontiers in bioinformatics JID - 9918227263306676 PMC - PMC9140045 MID - NIHMS1808758 OTO - NOTNLM OT - 3D OT - CAVE OT - augmented reality OT - immersive 3D OT - multi-omics visualization OT - systems biology OT - virtual reality OT - visualization design COIS- Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. EDAT- 2022/06/02 06:00 MHDA- 2022/06/02 06:01 PMCR- 2022/04/06 CRDT- 2022/06/01 11:50 PHST- 2022/06/01 11:50 [entrez] PHST- 2022/06/02 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2022/06/02 06:01 [medline] PHST- 2022/04/06 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - 873478 [pii] AID - 10.3389/fbinf.2022.873478 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Front Bioinform. 2022 Apr;2:873478. doi: 10.3389/fbinf.2022.873478. Epub 2022 Apr 6.