This book provides a theoretical background of branching processes and
discusses their biological applications. Branching processes are a
well-developed and powerful set of tools in the field of applied
probability. The range of applications considered includes molecular
biology, cellular biology, human evolution and medicine. The branching
processes discussed include Galton-Watson, Markov, Bellman-Harris,
Multitype, and General Processes. As an aid to understanding specific
examples, two introductory chapters, and two glossaries are included
that provide background material in mathematics and in biology. The book
will be of interest to scientists who work in quantitative modeling of
biological systems, particularly probabilists, mathematical biologists,
biostatisticians, cell biologists, molecular biologists, and
bioinformaticians. The authors are a mathematician and cell biologist
who have collaborated for more than a decade in the field of branching
processes in biology for this new edition.
This second expanded edition adds new material published during the last
decade, with nearly 200 new references. More material has been added on
infinitely-dimensional multitype processes, including the
infinitely-dimensional linear-fractional case. Hypergeometric function
treatment of the special case of the Griffiths-Pakes infinite allele
branching process has also been added. There are additional applications
of recent molecular processes and connections with systems biology are
explored, and a new chapter on genealogies of branching processes and
their applications.
Reviews of First Edition:
"This is a significant book on applications of branching processes in
biology, and it is highly recommended for those readers who are
interested in the application and development of stochastic models,
particularly those with interests in cellular and molecular biology."
(Siam Review, Vol. 45 (2), 2003)
"This book will be very interesting and useful for mathematicians,
statisticians and biologists as well, and especially for researchers
developing mathematical methods in biology, medicine and other natural
sciences." (Short Book Reviews of the ISI, Vol. 23 (2), 2003)
