Engineering a molecular predation oscillator

R.I. Kitney, P.S. Freemont, V. Rouilly
2007 IET Synthetic Biology  
The paper addresses the problem of designing and building a stable molecular based oscillator which can be controlled in terms of both amplitude and frequency. A study of previous oscillators of this type showed that they are inherently unstable. To overcome this problem a design was chosen which is based on Lotka -Voltera dynamics. An important aspect of the work was the use of what we term the Engineering Cycle; that is, the cycle of system specification, design, modelling, implementation,
more » ... testing and validation. The Lotka -Voltera dynamic, in the context of a predation oscillator, amounts to a predator -prey approach. This is the basis of the oscillator design. The oscillator was designed and detailed modelling undertaken to establish the modes of the dynamic; how it could be tuned for stability; and how to control its amplitude and frequency. The biological implementation of the design was undertaken using a number of BioBricks from the MIT registry (http://parts.mit.edu/registry/index.php/Main_Page), together with a number of parts which we designed and built.
doi:10.1049/iet-stb:20070018 fatcat:tkiwugf6fjf3tcelgjwomkzsw4