Molecular Communications in Viral Infections Research: Modeling, Experimental Data, and Future Directions

Abstract

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by viral infections each year, and yet, several of them neither have vaccines nor effective treatment during and post-infection. This challenge has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, showing how viruses can quickly spread and impact society as a whole. Novel interdisciplinary techniques must emerge to provide forward-looking strategies to combat viral infections, as well as possible future pandemics. In the past decade, an interdisciplinary area involving bioengineering, nanotechnology and information and communication technology (ICT) has been developed, known as Molecular Communications. This new emerging area uses elements of classical communication systems to molecular signalling and communication found inside and outside biological systems, characterizing the signalling processes between cells and viruses. In this paper, we provide an extensive and detailed discussion on how molecular communications can be integrated into the viral infectious diseases research, and how possible treatment and vaccines can be developed considering molecules as information carriers. We provide a literature review on molecular communications models for viral infection (intra-body and extra-body), a deep analysis on their effects on immune response, how experimental can be used by the molecular communications community, as well as open issues and future directions.

Keywords: Communicable diseases; infection; molecular communications; virions; virus.

Fig. 1.

Molecular communications channels of viral intra-body spread. After (a) translocation across the epithelium, the virus spread throughout the body utilising (b) the circulatory system, (c) nervous network, and (d) cell-released EVs that carry viral components as their cargo and deliver to other cells, eventually causing systemic infection.

Fig. 2.

Activation of innate and adaptive immune systems. The cytokine-based- and antibody-based molecular communications systems are shown in Phase (c) and (d), respectively.

Fig. 3.

Molecular communications model of a human transmitter of airborne viruses. The system is comprised of the virus replication, lung-mouth propagation and virus excretion phases. They dictate the rate and strength by which the virus is released to the environment that leads to different range in propagation distance. The sneeze, cough and breath are three different transmission modes for virus excretion.

Fig. 4.

Molecular communications model of the human receiver of airborne viruses. a) According to the different regions in the respiratory tract, the size of the particles propagating downwards is smaller; b) The human receiver model is comprised of droplets entrance rate, mouth-lung propagation, virus replication and deposition rates; c) Alveoli sack and alveoli with moderate and severe mucus presence due to infection progression; d) The virus duplication process; e) The virus deposition process.