Ana Pastore y Piontti

When it comes to predicting the transmission of infectious diseases, a lot of factors need to be considered. A new model from the MOBS Lab at Northeastern can account for specific interpersonal behaviors. Photo courtesy of Northeastern’s MOBS Lab

Diseases spread differently, region by region. This mathematical model shows how.

In an attempt to reflect the complex reality of disease transmission, Northeastern’s MOBS Lab has developed a new model that factors in patterns of interpersonal behavior down to the state or province level, enabling epidemiologists to get a closer look at how diseases spread.

by Emily Arntsen January 13, 2021

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Just how much contact tracing and testing do we need?

How much testing is enough? What percentage of people who’ve been unwittingly exposed to the virus do we need to track down? How many people will need to be quarantined? In a recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour, researchers in Northeastern’s Network Science Institute sought to quantify these answers.

by Laura Castañón August 25, 2020

Closing borders can delay, but can’t stop the spread of COVID-19, new report says

Travel restrictions will not stop the spread of COVID-19, but observing quarantines and avoiding public events gives us a chance to slow the epidemic, says Matteo Chinazzi, a research scientist in the Network Science Institute. “Closing airports will buy you time, but it’s not enough.”

by Emily Arntsen March 6, 2020

A stock photo of a Northeastern researcher working in a lab on the Boston campus. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

The CDC confirmed that a mysterious disease is paralyzing children across the US, but where does it come from?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released an official case count for a rare neurological disease being reported across the country. The definitive cause and transmission pattern of this disease are still unknown, which makes the possibility of modeling the disease uncertain, said Ana Pastore y Piontti, an associate research scientist at Northeastern.

by Aria Bracci October 18, 2018

Diseases spread differently, region by region. This mathematical model shows how.

Just how much contact tracing and testing do we need?

Closing borders can delay, but can’t stop the spread of COVID-19, new report says

The CDC confirmed that a mysterious disease is paralyzing children across the US, but where does it come from?

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