Expectation maximization estimates of the offspring probabilities in a class of multitype branching processes with binary family trees

ABSTRACT When proliferating cells are counted in several independent colonies at some time points, the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of the multitype branching process are obtained trough an expectation maximization algorithm. In the case of an offspring distribution governed by a Markov branching process with binary family trees, this method, relying then on a partial knowledge of the tree, yields the same estimates as those computed with the complete knowledge of the tree.