Research topics
The two main research lines of the lab are
Eco-epidemiology:
the spread of infectious diseases is studied through models generally based on ordinary or partial differential equations, but often considering also stochastic effects, or completely stochastic simulations. This approach has been used for studying pandemic and seasonal influenza, about which the group has coordinated the European project FLUMODCONT. Similar approach is also used to study ecological (e.g. corals, or galliforms) and cellular systems. The group participates in a project (starting September 2013) about the dynamics of invasive species, in collaboration with FEM, FBK and other Italian partners.
Systems nutrition:
the interaction between internal molecular physiology and the external environment (primarily, diet and lifestyle) defines the nutritional health status of an individual.
We mainly study intestinal function, which is the gateway between diet/environment and molecular physiology. We exploit systems thinking and bioinformatics for analysis of high-throughput nutritional datasets, using advanced statistical techniques and network analysis. We also study the dynamics of molecular networks, using (programming) language-based modeling and stochastic simulation. A main partner for this research line is COSBI.
Staff
Mimmo Iannelli - Senior Professor
Andrea Pugliese - Full Professor
Claudio Agostinelli - Associate Professor
Mario Lauria - Associate Professor
Roberto Zunino - Assistant Professor