Feedback Control and Synthetic Biology: Constraints on Design

Abstract

Synthetic Biology is an emerging field at the interface of biology and engineering, concerned with the design and implementation of synthetic biological parts, devices and systems. With applications ranging from industrial biosynthesis of chemicals to treatment and prevention of disease, Synthetic Biology holds great promise, but faces several challenges due to the uncertainties and noise inherent in biological systems. In this paper we review recent progress in the design and testing of biological control systems that aim to overcome these limitations. We then use classical control theory to derive a number of design constraints for implementation of linear control systems that achieve adaptation and disturbance rejection. Finally, we design a linear system for rejection of ramp-type disturbances, and from this demonstrate how the derived linear system constraints can be embedded in a more realistic non-linear biological context.