Dynamic compensation and homeostasis: a feedback control perspective
For biologists studying robustness in biological circuits, this offers a theoretical explanation but is incremental as it applies existing control theory to a known problem.
The paper explains dynamic compensation in biological circuits using model-free control and intelligent controllers, providing a new perspective on homeostasis. Computer simulations demonstrate the approach.
"Dynamic compensation" is a robustness property where a perturbed biological circuit maintains a suitable output [Karin O., Swisa A., Glaser B., Dor Y., Alon U. (2016). Mol. Syst. Biol., 12: 886]. In spite of several attempts, no fully convincing analysis seems now to be on hand. This communication suggests an explanation via "model-free control" and the corresponding "intelligent" controllers [Fliess M., Join C. (2013). Int. J. Contr., 86, 2228-2252], which are already successfully applied in many concrete situations. As a byproduct this setting provides also a slightly different presentation of homeostasis, or "exact adaptation," where the working conditions are assumed to be "mild." Several convincing, but academic, computer simulations are provided and discussed.