Troppo - A Python framework for the reconstruction of context-specific metabolic models

Abstract

The surge in high-throughput technology availability for molecular biology has enabled the development of powerful predictive tools for use in many applications, including (but not limited to) the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases such as cancer. Genome-scale metabolic models have shown some promise in clearing a path towards precise and personalized medicine, although some challenges still persist. The integration of omics data and subsequent creation of context-specific models for specific cells/tissues still poses a significant hurdle, and most current tools for this purpose have been implemented using proprietary software. Here, we present a new software tool developed in Python, troppo - Tissue-specific RecOnstruction and Phenotype Prediction using Omics data, implementing a large variety of context-specific reconstruction algorithms. Our framework and workflow are modular, which facilitates the development of newer algorithms or omics data sources.