Applying molecular communication theory to estimate information loss in cell signal transduction

Moving forward with molecular communication: from theory to human health applications [point of view]

“…MC theory holds the potential to enable the sensing and control of this information as it propagates in vivo through the biochemistry underpinning the patient's body, its cells, and their molecular content. For example, cancer development and progression are believed to arise from abnormalities in the propagation of molecular information underlying cell differentiation and proliferation, among others [9]. Innovative solutions to these problems may come from decades of knowledge on information processing and communication in electrical systems and their translation into biochemical systems operated by the MC theory.…”

“…Consequently, the flow of information about the chemical composition of the human gut environment can be modeled by a series of MC links, where the sender is the gut environment and the destination is the consequent adaptation of the cell metabolism, defined as the complex network of chemical reactions that underlie the conversion of chemical compounds to energy, cellular building blocks, and waste. A similar MC link abstraction is applied to quantify the disruption in this information flow as a consequence of mutations in the cell genetic code, leading to cancer [9]. In particular, information on the concentration of a growth hormone in the cell environment, which modulates cell growth and proliferation, is normally propagated to the cell nucleus through intracellular MC links based on chained interactions of proteins.…”

“…Besides free diffusion, the more complex advection-diffusion molecule transport has also been considered, where flows assist the propagation of the molecules, as in the aforementioned cardiovascular system [3]. Understanding the process of information encoding into molecule composition and structure as well as how this affects the chemical reactions and transport processes can provide new insights into how diseases emerge, such as the molecular basis of cancer initiation and progression [9]. This can be due to changes in the protein folding process resulting in new structures that can affect the molecular transport as well as the carried information, leading to deviations from the optimal capacity and, ultimately, affecting the healthy behavior of cells.…”