Introduction
Interactive Life Science (iLifeSci) is an open-source, browser-based platform combining interactive simulations with guided learning pathways for physiology education. The platform is accessible to any student, anywhere, for free, and without installation, licensing, or specialist hardware. It was built around a simple observation: many physiological concepts involve dynamic interactions across biological scales that static teaching resources cannot fully convey. Simulation addresses this by shifting the focus away from the performance of an experiment and towards experimental design, analysis, and interpretation — allowing students to explore physiological systems, test hypotheses, and visualise how molecular events translate into tissue/organ function. Integrated vascular physiology is a particular challenge: connecting ion channel activity to calcium signalling, membrane potential, and arterial tone across multiple scales, cell types, and organs. Developing a scaffolded simulation pathway that teaches this chain, from ion channel biophysics to integrative vascular function, is the central aim of the current phase of iLifeSci development.
Methods
iLifeSci is built using modern web technologies (React, TypeScript, Vite), runs in any web browser without installation or licensing, and is fully open-source. Simulations are self-contained and quantitatively realistic — multiple drugs and concentrations can be applied, interactions between drugs modelled, and experiments repeated or redesigned in real time. Content is organised as scaffolded pathways — guided narratives with interactive simulations embedded at every conceptual step, taking students from first principles to integrative function. Development is supported by a Physiological Society Education and Teaching Award.
Results
More than ten simulations are currently live at https://www.ilifesci.com. A neurophysiology pathway begins at the molecular level — ion diffusion and the Nernst equation, a particle-based ion channel visualiser driven by real gating variables, and saltatory conduction in myelinated axons including demyelination — and extends to a Hodgkin-Huxley neuron model with 7 antiepileptic drugs and 3D ion channel visualisation. The cardiovascular pathway scaffolds from first principles to integrative function: a guided receptor theory journey covering receptor occupancy, affinity, efficacy, and competitive antagonism leads into VasoSim — a virtual pressure myograph modelling arterial diameter responses to receptor pharmacology, IP3/calcium signalling, and myogenic pressure responses — and from there to a web version of RatCVS (1), a whole-animal cardiovascular simulation modelling blood pressure and heart rate responses to autonomic drugs.
Conclusions
iLifeSci demonstrates that rigorous physiology and pharmacology teaching simulations can be delivered as free, open-source, browser-based tools — from ion channel biophysics to integrative cardiovascular function. The cardiovascular simulation suite, including VasoSim and RatCVS, is in active development. We welcome input from the vascular physiology community to help shape this next stage of this free and open-source resource