Molecule gradient formation by mobile bio-nanomachines

Abstract

This paper considers a system of bio-nanomachines to create molecule gradients in the environment. A bio-nanomachine in the system has mobility and moves about the environment. It carries a fixed amount of molecules and releases the molecules either at a constant rate, at a decreasing rate or instantaneously in order to create molecule gradients in the environment. This paper uses a computational model to simulate the system and observes how the manner in which mobile bio-nanomachines release molecules affects the resultant molecule gradients that are formed. The main contribution of this paper is to gain insight into the process of molecule gradient formation, which is important in understanding biological systems (e.g., developmental processes) and designing synthetic biological systems.