Autonomously oscillating biochemical systems: parametric sensitivity of extrema and period

This work addresses sensitivity analysis of autonomously oscillating biochemical systems. Building on results from the engineering literature, a general analysis is presented which addresses key features of oscillatory trajectories, namely the period and local maximum or minimum values of species, concentrations and reaction rates. A discussion of sensitivity invariants generalises results from steady-state sensitivity analysis to this context. The results are illustrated by the application to a model of a circadian oscillator.