Alberto D’Onofrio, Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milano, Italy

Models of cellular populations

The aim of the course is to show that the ecological methods which are fruitful in describing the natural history and “pathology” of animal populations may be, after being suitably adapted, used to infer the main biological properties of cellular populations. This is quite amazing, and suggests that living beings may be “read” as ecological communities of interacting cells: fighting, cooperating, and, which is very important, exchanging information.
No particular mathematical background will be required, but a strong love for mathematics, computer science and physics is warmly suggested.
Particular focus will be given to tumours and anti-tumour therapies.

Biosketch

Alberto d'Onofrio got a MSc in Electrical Engineering and Control Theory from Pisa University, and a PhD in “Medical Computer Sciences” from Rome “La Sapienza” University.
In 2000 he moved at the Epidemiology Division of the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), where he was post-doc (advisor: Prof. Peter Boyle) and, from 2003, staff scientist. Since october 2009 he is principal investigator in “Theoretical Medicine and Biology” at the Department of Experimental Oncology of IEO.
His researches focus on “Systems Biomedicine” with applications on various topics such as antitumour therapies, immunology, biochemical oscillators, tumorigenesis, epidemiology of cancer, control of the spread of infectious diseases, interplay between vaccination behaviours and information. He is author of 54 papers in international ISI-indexed journals and peer-refereed books.