Learning From Nature: Energy Harvesting and Intersymbol Interference Mitigation via Reuptake of Information Molecules in Diffusive Molecular Communication Systems

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A major challenge in the design of synthetic diffusive molecular communication (DMC) systems is the intersymbol interference caused by the dispersive nature of molecule diffusion. Solutions to cope with this problem have been developed by nature for natural DMC systems. One interesting solution is found in certain chemical synapses where the information molecules are removed from the synaptic space by transporting them back into the presynaptic cell which facilitates their recycling for future reuse and can be interpreted as a form of energy harvesting. In dopaminergic synapses, this process is controlled by the dopamine transporter (DAT) protein and constitutes the major regulator of the dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter molecules in the synapse. The importance of this regulatory mechanism is evident from the numerous diseases associated with dysregulations of the transport mechanism. The main objective of the present project is to investigate the macroscopic effects of molecule reuptake on intersymbol interference mitigation and energy harvesting in natural and synthetic DMC systems. Although the developed concepts and analyses will be made as general as possible, special attention will be given to the DA/DAT system because of its physiological importance and the abundance of available experimental studies, which can be used for verification of the developed models and results. The outcomes of this project will improve our understanding of the impact of molecule reuptake in natural DMC systems and provide new design options for synthetic DMC systems.