Modeling Diffusion and Chemical Reactions to Analyze Redox-Based Molecular-Electrical Communication

For more than a decade, Molecular Communication (MC), inspired by the natural way biological cells communicate, has been studied in engineering as the key paradigm for realizing computing and information systems increasingly integrated with biology. Broad application scenarios range from medical diagnostics and treatment, to biocompatible device and systems engineering. This paper focuses on a recently proposed technology able to transduce information from the MC domain to the electrical domain of classical circuits and systems. In particular, this is based on redox reactions, i. e., chemical processes where molecules exchange electrons, which play an important role in living systems. Based on these processes and a proof-of-concept prototype realized by our research collaborators, this paper addresses the computational modeling necessary to derive the design principles of such system. In particular, a stochastic simulation framework is developed to reproduce the transduction of information signals from the MC (input molecule concentration) to the electrical domain (output current). Numerical results from this framework, realized in MATLAB, are presented to evaluate the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the Limit of Detection (LOD), and the Limit of Quantification (LOQ) of this transduction process as a function of the input concentration value. While at its preliminary stage, this framework has the potential to be foundational towards the engineering of a complete redox-based bio-hybrid electronics.