Tensor methods for parameter estimation and bifurcation analysis of stochastic reaction networks

Stochastic modelling of gene regulatory networks provides an indispensable tool for understanding how random events at the molecular level influence cellular functions. A common challenge of stochastic models is to calibrate a large number of model parameters against the experimental data. Another difficulty is to study how the behaviour of a stochastic model depends on its parameters, i.e. whether a change in model parameters can lead to a significant qualitative change in model behaviour (bifurcation). In this paper, tensor-structured parametric analysis (TPA) is developed to address these computational challenges. It is based on recently proposed low-parametric tensor-structured representations of classical matrices and vectors. This approach enables simultaneous computation of the model properties for all parameter values within a parameter space. The TPA is illustrated by studying the parameter estimation, robustness, sensitivity and bifurcation structure in stochastic models of biochemical networks. A Matlab implementation of the TPA is available at http://www.stobifan.org.