(89f) Topological Modeling of Reaction Networks for Engineering of Microbial Fuel Cells

We discuss the application of a novel framework for the topological modeling of complex reaction networks (TMA) for the rational redesign of microbial fuel cell devices. We demonstrate the ability of our approach to quantitatively capture all metabolic activities of the chosen microbial reducing agent (Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, in this case), as well as all electrochemical processes external to the microbe, using a compartmentalized modeling approach within a single framework. We show that a rigorous examination of microbial metabolism and its participation within the fuel cellcan reveal targets for genetic redesign of the microbe improving both the overall bioremediation and power generation performance of the fuel cell device. We close by discussing aspects of practically constructing the redesigned fuel cell devices identified using our modeling approach.