Optimization Control Approach to sequential Activation of Metabolic pathways

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is a study of sequential activation of metabolic pathways using optimal control theory. In particular, we study the statements made in [10] and give an alternative proof of the main results proposed in that paper. In our study we give a precise description of numbers of switching times, provide an optimization problem formulation to determine optimal switching time, which were not presented in [10]. In addition to the Pontryagin Minimum Principle, we also study the Lagrange duality theory, and apply them to the unbranched metabolic pathways. We give a selfcontained presentation of mathematics necessary for this thesis to describe the results