Optimization of biochemical systems through mathematical programming: Methods and applications

In this work we present a general (mono and multiobjective) optimization framework for the technological improvement of biochemical systems. The starting point of the method is a mathematical model in ordinary differential equations (ODEs) of the investigated system, based on qualitative biological knowledge and quantitative experimental data. In the method we take advantage of the special structural features of a family of ODEs called power-law models to reduce the computational complexity of the optimization program. In this way, the genetic manipulation of a biochemical system to meet a certain biotechnological goal can be expressed as an optimization program with some desired properties such as linearity or convexity.