An interactive suite of cross-platform browser-based learning tools for students and instructors
Cell Membrane Potential Sim
A simple physiology app illustrating how membrane potential is a function of its relative permeability to different ions (i.e. the activity of certain ion channels) and their transmembrane concentration gradients. It was inspired by a sadly defunct Flash app by Stephen Wright and Michael Branch, U. Arizona, (html version here), but in addition to a simple non-excitable membrane model for exploring the Goldman-Hodgkin Katz (GHK) voltage equation, also has an excitable neuronal membrane model for looking at action potentials and their regulation by neuroactive drugs.
Pharmacological Assay Simulator
A pharmacology app allowing students to observe the effects of agonists and antagonists on pharmacological responses similar to those observed experimentally in preparations such as the Guinee Pig ileum organ bath assay. Students can explore the impact on receptor binding affinity and drug intrinsic efficacy on evoked responses, and observe the tendency of responses to desensitize with prolonged drug exposure. (this app was inspired by the excellent OBSim developed by John Dempster of Strathclyde University)
Drug-Receptor Theory Sim
This interactive slide pharmacology app allows student to see how the binding and response curves of an agonist neurotransmitter or hormone are altered in the presence of other drugs targeting the same receptor (e.g. reversible competitive antagonists or allosteric modulators). A tutorial explaining the impact of the "receptor reserve" (or "spare receptors") on drug concentration response curves is also included.
Opioid Curves is a simple interactive pharmacology app illustrating the important pharmacodynamic factors influencing the physiological responses produced by administered opioid drugs.
A tutorial explaining the impact of the "receptor reserve" (or "spare receptors") on drug concentration response curves is also included.
Drug Plasma Concentration Simulator
A pharmacology app illustrating how various pharmacokinetic parameters - e.g. bioavailability,, volume of distribution (Vd) and clearance - influence the plasma concentration of an administered drug over time. Students can use this simulation to better understand the rationale for drug loading and maintenance strategies for dosing.
Hippocampal Slice Simulator
A simple physiology app demonstrting the classic hippocampus model used for studying the synaptic plasticity that underlies learning and memory. Students can observe short term facilitation, Long Term Potentiation (LTP), association, and Long Term Depression (LTD) in this simulator.
Select-ION
Interactive slide demonstrating the effects of different amino acid side chain chemical properties on ion channel ion selectivity. If you play around with it, you can mock up a semi-respectable K+ or Na+ selective ion channel (this was the first teaching simulator I ever made, and was inspired by my then 4-year-old daughter's magnetic dress up doll).
Cell SignalOIDs
A whimsical maze game designed simply to test students’ ability to remember key cell signal transduction mechanisms important to cellular physiology. (NB: NOT TOUCH SCREEN COMPATIBLE!).
pH Trappin'
A terribly rickety app attempting to illustrate the importance of body compartment pH in regulating the distribution of weak acid and weak base drugs. I keep meaning to get back to polishing this one up...
Strictly for the boids
Produced using Construct 2 (Scirra) with the “Rex_boids” behavior plugin. The plugin is, in turn, based on the flocking model developed by Craig Reynolds in 1986. In this app, I have also implemented a toggleable “view clearance” parameter similar to the one later proposed by Gary Flake (see The Computational Beauty of Nature: Computer Explorations of Fractals, Chaos, Complex Systems, and Adaptation), which biases the flock formation towards more bird-like V and echelon formations, rather than the fish-like school formations of Reynold’s original model.
No Man's Pixel (alpha)
A completely frivolous homage-in-progress to the glorious space video games of the 70's and 80's (Asteroids and Lander in particular). I made it for my kids who all absolutely hate it and don't understand why I'm not developing stuff on a sensible engine like Roblox Studio or Unity or something. So it goes. The images used are either shamelessly cribbed from NASA's image library (hey, I pay my taxes), vacation photos, or just really badly drawn by me. It has no business being on this webpage, but sod it.
Damien Samways, PhD
This site chiefly serves as a repository for a compilation of browser-based learning enhancement apps targeted towards students and instructors of physiology and pharmacology (along with some other daft projects I've been working on in my spare time). I continue to tinker with everything on here, so if you use any of the apps regularly you might want to occasionally clear your browser cache before running a program in order to download updated files. Note that if you're using Chrome, you can opt to download and install the apps on your device where they tend to work a bit faster (you'll see an install icon on the right hand side of the address browser if you can do this, or a cell phone will give you a prompt) - DSKS
Damien S.K. Samways PhD is an Associate professor in the Department of Biology at a university located in the deep, dark woods of the North Country, NY. With the exception of the P2X Project, the apps featured on this website were built using the HTML5/Javascript/CSS development software "Construct 2" (Scirra). All of the apps except Cell SignalOids are touch screen compatible.