A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm for parameter estimation of a biological system

BACKGROUND: Mathematical modeling has achieved a broad interest in the field of biology. These models represent the associations among the metabolism of the biological phenomenon with some mathematical equations such that the observed time course profile of the biological data fits the model. However, the estimation of the unknown parameters of the model is a challenging task. Many algorithms have been developed for parameter estimation, but none of them is entirely capable of finding the best solution. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for precise estimation of parameters of a biological model. METHODS: In this paper, a novel particle swarm optimization algorithm based on a decomposition technique is developed. Then, its root mean square error is compared with simple particle swarm optimization, Iterative Unscented Kalman Filter and Simulated Annealing algorithms for two different simulation scenarios and a real data set related to the metabolism of CAD system. RESULTS: Our proposed algorithm results in 54.39% and 26.72% average reduction in root mean square error when applied to the simulation and experimental data, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results show that the metaheuristic approaches such as the proposed method are very wise choices for finding the solution of nonlinear problems with many unknown parameters.