From micro-scale reactors to macro-scale process control: Potential use of chip calorimetry

Designing an algorithm which allows automated seeking of the best operating point of a biological system is a quite complex task. That task is the subject of research for i.a. metabolic engineering which deals with control related issues, in particular with modeling of a biological phenomena kinetics as well as monitoring the unstable states of biomass growth. In the paper a theoretical analysis is described to present the utility of a microreactor application for designing, optimizing and controlling a biotechnological process. Moreover an attention to the hierarchical structure of phenomena and cyclical changes in metabolic state was paid. Models that are presented enable making connection between a bioprocess studied in micro-scale and a process operated in macro-scale. The paper indicates chip calorimetric measurements as a potential solution for the task in hand.