Regulating Molecular Interactions Using Terahertz Communication

Abstract

Nanosized devices operating inside the human body open up new prospects in the healthcare domain. On the one hand, molecular communication enables biological nanomachines to communicate by exchanging molecules and performing application-dependent tasks. On the other hand, electromagnetic (EM) nano-communication points to the Terahertz Band (0.1-10 THz) as the frequency range for communication among nano-biosensors. In this paper, we propose a stimuli-responsive paradigm which integrates EM and molecular communication by stimulating proteins in the human body. Our model capitalizes on the fact that proteins act as an interface between both mediums, in which triggering proteins by THz waves changes their conformational structure. This allows biochemical and biomechanical activities to be carried out in a controlled manner. The stochasticity involved in the folding and unfolding of proteins is modeled using a Markov chain. A closed form expression for the mutual information rate by which proteins receive information is derived and maximized to find the capacity. By illustrating the information rates theoretically achievable, we hope to spark research into the EM-based control of protein networks.