Implementing a modified Smith predictor using chemical reaction networks and its application to protein translation

In this article, a special attention is paid to the biochemical controller synthesis for time delay systems and try to implement the well-established Smith predictor approach in the context of biochemical systems. Then, chemical reaction networks (CRNs) are adopted to construct a modified Smith predictor scheme (integrating Smith predictor and feedback compensation controllers) for the first time. Taking a delayed protein translation model as the background, the CRNs-based proposed scheme has access to a method that can solve the effect of co-translated mRNA decay in protein translation. In addition, considering that the decay of mRNA affects mRNA stability and protein production, the co-translated mRNA degradation is treated as an interference input of the protein translation process. Our results show that the impact of a disturbance input (mRNA degradation) is restrained by the modified control strategy. The CRNs-based modified Smith predictor makes the protein translation process more robust and achieves protein output quickly and stably.