For decades, biologists have relied on written descriptions of
protocols to guide their experiments in the laboratory. However,
with the emergence of microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" systems, many
of today's experiments are carried out by a computer rather than
by a human. In order to leverage the power of these
technologies, protocols will need to be written in a standard
language that machines can understand. We are developing a
language, called BioCoder, that formally expresses the steps
needed to carry out a biology protocol. We have used BioCoder to
execute real protocols on diverse microfluidic chips, as well as
to direct the actions of experimental biologists in the
laboratory. Our vision is to change the way that experimental
methods are communicated: rather than publishing a written
account of the protocols used, researchers will simply publish
the code. Bill Thies is a researcher at Microsoft Research
India, where he is a member of the Technologies for Emerging
Markets Group. His research focuses on cre