Cell-Free ATP Regeneration Kinetics (2D)

A cell-free protein synthesis reaction has no living cell to keep its energy metabolism running, so everything depends on a secondary energy substrate rephosphorylating ADP back into ATP fast enough to feed the ribosomes. This simulator models that energy-regeneration system directly: a fixed adenylate pool cycles between ATP (green) and ADP (red) as a substrate pool (cyan) is consumed, while a Michaelis-Menten term couples the live ATP level to ribosome elongation rate, growing visible polypeptide chains (gold) on each of the reactor's ribosomes arranged around its rim. A live strip chart tracks ATP fraction, substrate concentration and cumulative protein yield over time so you can watch the batch reaction accelerate, sustain, and crash as its energy substrate runs out — the same trade-off that limits real CFPS/CECF yields. Drag the reactor view to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and tune substrate charge, regeneration rate, ribosome load and ATP affinity from the side panel.