A passivity-based stability criterion for a class of interconnected systems and applications to biochemical reaction networks

We present a stability test for a class of interconnected nonlinear systems motivated by biochemical reaction networks. The main result determines global asymptotic stability of the network from the diagonal stability of a "dissipativity matrix" which incorporates information about the passivity properties of the subsystems, the interconnection structure of the network, and the signs of the interconnection terms. This stability test encompasses the "secant criterion" for cyclic networks presented in [Arcak, M., et al., 2006], and extends it to a general interconnection structure represented by a graph. The new stability test is illustrated on a mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade model, and on a branched interconnection structure motivated by metabolic networks.