MechE Colloquium: Engineering Robust Genetic Control Systems: Theory and Implementation
Event details
| Date | 04.03.2025 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Mustafa Khammash, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: Feedback regulation is a fundamental principle in biology, providing essential mechanisms for organisms to adapt and thrive in ever-changing environments. In this talk, I will present the theoretical framework and key concepts essential for designing genetic control systems capable of achieving robust perfect adaptation (RPA), a biological process that ensures a specific variable remains at a desired setpoint despite continuous perturbations in the underlying network. From a theory perspective, I will elucidate how RPA imposes critical structural constraints on the underlying networks that can be characterized by simple linear algebraic conditions. These conditions in turn impose an integral feedback structure on RPA achieving networks, a fact that yields insight into how RPA mechanisms can be realized with biomolecular reactions. Building on these insights, I will introduce a novel internal model principle (IMP) tailored for biomolecular networks, akin to celebrated IMP in control theory. Finally, I will relate these theoretical developments to practical implementation of RPA-achieving controllers and their applications. I will demonstrate the implementation of genetically engineered synthetic RPA controllers in different cell types and showcase their tunability and adaptation properties.
Biography: Professor Mustafa Khammash works in the field of Control Theory and Systems and Synthetic Biology. He is currently a professor at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) at ETH Zurich. Prof. Khammash received his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1990 in Electrical Engineering. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the Electrical Engineering Department at Iowa State University, where he established the Dynamics and Control Program. In 2001, he became a member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). During his tenure at UCSB, he served as the Director of the Center for Control, Dynamical Systems, and Computation. In 2011, Prof. Khammash moved to Switzerland, joining ETH Zurich. He has held various positions there, including serving as the head of the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering. His research at ETH Zurich involves working at the interface of systems biology, synthetic biology, and control theory. His work is pivotal in the development of Cybergenetics in synthetic biology, focusing on the real-time control of the dynamic behavior of living cells with applications in various areas such as industrial biotechnology, tissue engineering, and medical therapy. His laboratory at ETH Zurich combines expertise from various disciplines, including engineering, mathematics, computational science, physics, and biology, to advance the theoretical and experimental foundations of Cybergenetics. Prof. Khammash is a Fellow of the IEEE, IFAC, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association. He is the winner of the prestigious European Research Council Advance grant (2018) and the Swiss National Science Foundation Advanced grant (2023).
Biography: Professor Mustafa Khammash works in the field of Control Theory and Systems and Synthetic Biology. He is currently a professor at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) at ETH Zurich. Prof. Khammash received his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1990 in Electrical Engineering. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the Electrical Engineering Department at Iowa State University, where he established the Dynamics and Control Program. In 2001, he became a member of the Mechanical Engineering faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). During his tenure at UCSB, he served as the Director of the Center for Control, Dynamical Systems, and Computation. In 2011, Prof. Khammash moved to Switzerland, joining ETH Zurich. He has held various positions there, including serving as the head of the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering. His research at ETH Zurich involves working at the interface of systems biology, synthetic biology, and control theory. His work is pivotal in the development of Cybergenetics in synthetic biology, focusing on the real-time control of the dynamic behavior of living cells with applications in various areas such as industrial biotechnology, tissue engineering, and medical therapy. His laboratory at ETH Zurich combines expertise from various disciplines, including engineering, mathematics, computational science, physics, and biology, to advance the theoretical and experimental foundations of Cybergenetics. Prof. Khammash is a Fellow of the IEEE, IFAC, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association. He is the winner of the prestigious European Research Council Advance grant (2018) and the Swiss National Science Foundation Advanced grant (2023).
Practical information
- General public
- Free