Open Positions
Project ARMOC

Project ARMOC

Adaptive and Reconfigurable Receiver Architectures for Molecular Communications towards Internet of Bio-Nano Things

Funded by TUBITAK 1001 – #123E516
Duration: March 2024 – March 2027
Amount: 2.7M TL (~80K Euro at the time of funding decision)

Molecular Communications (MC) underpins signaling in biological systems, enabling information transfer through biochemical molecules. The prospect of engineering this natural communication mechanism has inspired the emerging Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) framework, which relies on heterogeneous collaborative networks of bio-nano things, such as engineered or artificial biological cells (biotic), as well as artificial micro/nanomachines (abiotic), to enable paradigm-shifting applications, particularly in the healthcare domain, such as intrabody continuous health monitoring.

Molecular Communications (MC) underpins signaling in biological systems, enabling information transfer through biochemical molecules. The prospect of engineering this natural communication mechanism has inspired the emerging Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) framework, which relies on heterogeneous collaborative networks of bio-nano things, such as engineered or artificial biological cells (biotic), as well as artificial micro/nanomachines (abiotic), to enable paradigm-shifting applications, particularly in the healthcare domain, such as intrabody continuous health monitoring.
Natural cells implement various adaptation strategies to optimize information transfer from their environments for maintaining homeostasis in fluctuating conditions. Many such strategies involve the modulation of signal transduction through dynamic regulation of cell-surface receptors, i.e., ligand receptors, optimizing their sensitivity, dynamic range, and selectivity for time-varying statistics of the environment. The strategies range from regulating receptor cooperativity and allostery to the expression of new receptor types on the cell surface. This flexibility of cell sensory systems has inspired the development of dynamic bio-interfaces, functionalized with biomolecules whose reaction kinetics can be dynamically tuned via external stimuli, such as thermal, and electrical. These interfaces enable various functionalities including on-demand cell adhesion, drug delivery systems, and bioanalysis/bioseparation systems.

Recent advances in synthetic biology allow the replication of receptor regulation mechanisms in synthetic cells. Coupled with the parallel developments in dynamic bio-interfaces with tunable ligand-receptor interactions, there are now opportunities to incorporate hardware-based adaptivity to MC receivers in both biotic and abiotic realms. The objective of this project is to harness these opportunities by developing adaptive and dynamically reconfigurable biosynthetic and biosensor-based receiver architectures that leverage the tunability of ligand-receptor interactions to maintain high detection performance under time-varying MC scenarios.
Our methodology integrates theoretical modeling, simulations, micro/nanofabrication, and experimental characterization. After statistically characterizing practically-relevant time-varying MC scenarios, we will develop a theoretical optimization framework that will reveal the performance gains achievable through adaptive receptor regulation programs in both types of receivers. This framework will guide the theoretical design of biosynthetic MC receivers with optimal feedback control. Concurrently, we will develop dynamic reconfigurable biosynthetic MC receivers with the sensory system modulated by external biochemical and optical stimuli. Building on these receivers, we will ultimately develop reconfigurable and adaptive MC networks, including multi-functional MC networks inspired by software-defined networks.

As such, the project outcomes will lay the foundations of adaptivity and dynamic reconfigurability in biosynthetic and biosensor-based MC receivers and reveal the corresponding performance gains under time-varying MC scenarios, and new capabilities towards flexible and dynamic network architectures and applications within the IoBNT framework. These outcomes will also lay the groundwork for future studies towards the development of adaptive biosensors, which would have significant impact on healthcare domain, enabling continuous and reliable sensing through adaptivity.