Extent computation under rank-deficient conditions

The identification of kinetic models can be simplified via the computation of extents of reaction on the basis of invariants such as stoichiometric balances. In the extent space, one can identify the structure and the parameters of reaction rates individually, which significantly reduces the number of parameters that need to be estimated simultaneously. So far, extent-based modeling has only been applied to cases where all the extents can be computed from measured concentrations. This generally excludes its application to many biological processes for which the number of reactions tends to be larger than the number of measured quantities. This paper shows that, in some cases, such restrictions can be lifted. In addition, this study demonstrates the applicability of extent-based model identification using laboratory experimental data.