A random walk model of oligodendrocyte generation in vitro and associated estimation problems

A branching stochastic process proposed earlier to model oligodendrocyte ge neration by O-2A progenitor cells under in vitro conditions does not allow invoking the maximum likelihood techniques for estimation purposes. To over come this difficulty, we propose a partial likelihood function based on an embedded random walk model of clonal growth and differentiation of O-2A pro genitor cells. Under certain conditions, the partial likelihood function yi elds consistent estimates of model parameters. The usefulness of this appro ach is illustrated with computer simulations and data analyses. (C) 1999 El sevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.