Discrete Event Simulation of Biological Control Processes and its Application to Autonomous Decision-Making in Manufacturing Systems |
About the project
There are fundamental differences between the Modelling and Simulation (M&S) requirements of biological control and regulation networks and those of Industrial Operational Systems (IOSs). One fundamental difference is the way M&S approach the design and planning tasks undertaken by both systems. Within a biological cell these tasks are an integral part of the ‘control' processes whereas in IOSs they are normally external tasks which are undertaken prior to the operation of such systems and which act as constraints on their control systems.
The first aim of this project is, therefore, to examine, by means of discrete event simulation (DES), the feasibility of using biological control principles to significantly increase levels of autonomous decision-making within IOSs, through incorporating their design, planning and scheduling activities within their control processes. The chance of discovering fundamental autonomous control principles represents an exciting prospect.
Systems biologists make use of a range of modelling and simulation techniques in their attempts to represent and analyse biological control and regulation networks. There is much discussion in the research literature as to which techniques are most appropriate for modelling purposes. The generally accepted (and thermodynamically justified) modelling context yields a low-level non-hierarchical description of the system as a series of chemical reactions. However, without an interpretation of the system in terms of hierarchy and function, it is difficult to grasp the significance of any simulation results, and to evaluate the response of a system to external signals. A platform that considers the functional hierarchy of a compound system could significantly facilitate the analysis of the system’s responses to external signals, changed conditions, and other perturbations.
The second aim of this proposed project is, therefore, to examine the feasibility of using DES to provide a platform for integrating low-level biochemical reactions with their higher level function and control processes. This work has the potential to significantly extend M&S methods for biological systems.
The third aim is to take the opportunity provided by this project, though its high level of cross-disciplinary activities, to examine the relevance of a radically different perspective, i.e. that of industrial and manufacturing systems, to aid the generation of novel hypotheses on the control of intracellular processes.
The main aims of the project are:
- MA1 To examine the feasibility of using discrete event simulation (DES) to enable ‘molecular level’ biological control and regulation processes to be modelled and incorporated into the design, planning and scheduling of industrial and manufacturing operational system’s processes.
- MA2 To examine the feasibility of using DES to provide a platform for integration of low level biochemical reactions with the high level control processes involved in the coordination of processes such as gene transcription regulation, cell signalling, and metabolic reactions.
- MA3 To identify and test a manufacturing system-inspired biological control hypotheses.