Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Group - MTB - BCAM

06/08/2026

📢 🎉 New publication in Science

We are pleased to share that our Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (MTB) Group has published a Letter in Science entitled "Dengue vaccines need long-term surveillance."

https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.aej9456

🦟💉 The letter discusses the recent temporary suspension of the Butantan-DV dengue vaccine rollout in Brazil and emphasizes that such events highlight - not undermine - the need for long-term surveillance following vaccine deployment. Active pharmacovigilance, serotype-specific monitoring, and real-world epidemiological surveillance are essential to ensure vaccine safety and effectiveness and to support evidence-based public health decisions.

🌏 As dengue continues to expand into new regions of the world, understanding vaccine performance beyond clinical trials is becoming increasingly important. Long-term surveillance is not an optional component of vaccination programmes - it is fundamental to their success.

This publication reflects the MTB Group's continued commitment to advancing the mathematical and epidemiological understanding of vector-borne diseases and contributing to evidence-based public health policy through high-impact scientific research.

On 8 June, Brazil temporarily suspended its Butantan-DV dengue vaccination rollout after reports of rare and unexpected adverse events during early implementation (1–3). This decision—an appropriate response to a safety signal—should not be interpreted as evidence that dengue vaccination has f...

31/07/2026

📢 🎉 New publication from the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (MTB) Group! 🎉🥰

We are pleased to share our latest publication in EClinicalMedicine.

This work reflects our commitment to advancing quantitative approaches in epidemiology and public health through interdisciplinary research and collaboration. We hope our findings contribute to a better understanding of the challenges addressed in the study and support evidence-based decision-making.

Read the full article here:

27/07/2026

🎉 Dynamics Days Europe 2026 – A Great Success!

Last week, the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (MTB) Group at BCAM, together with NOVA University Lisbon, had the pleasure of organizing Dynamics Days Europe 2026 in Lisbon.

Over the course of an inspiring week, we welcomed 464 participants from 45 countries, bringing together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to exchange ideas on nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, mathematical modelling, and their many applications.

The conference featured an outstanding scientific programme, including plenary lectures, mini-symposia, contributed talks, and poster sessions, creating countless opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and new scientific connections.

A heartfelt thank you goes to all participants, plenary speakers, mini-symposium organizers, authors, sponsors, and our incredible volunteers. Your enthusiasm, dedication, and active participation made DDE 2026 a truly memorable event.

We are especially proud of our MTB (BCAM) and NOVA FCT teams, as well as all the colleagues and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes over many months to make this conference possible. Their dedication, teamwork, professionalism, and enthusiasm were the driving force behind the success of DDE 2026. We are deeply grateful to every one of them for making this event such a memorable experience.

Thank you, Lisbon, for being such a wonderful host city, and thank you to everyone who joined us on this exciting scientific journey.

We now look forward to our next event: DSABNS 2027, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 1-5 February 2027. We hope to see many of you there for another week of inspiring science and collaboration!

25/07/2026

🎉 We are pleased to share a new publication by Maíra Aguiar, leader of the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (MTB) Research Group at BCAM:

💉🦟 “Dengue vaccines in the real world: why long-term surveillance matters”🦟💉, published in The Lancet Microbe.

The article highlights the importance of continued real-world surveillance after dengue vaccine approval, including long-term monitoring of safety and effectiveness across age groups, baseline serostatus, and circulating dengue serotypes.

You can read it here 👇

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanmic.2026.101504

22/06/2026

⏳ Last days to register for Dynamics Days Europe 2026!

Registration for the XLVI Dynamics Days Europe (DDE 2026) is open until 30 June 2026.

Join us 19–24 July 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, together with more than 500 participants from around the world. DDE 2026 will bring together researchers in nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, applied mathematics, physics, biology, engineering, and many other fields for a week of outstanding science, collaboration, and networking.

Don’t miss the opportunity to join the XLVI Dynamics Days Europe (DDE 2026)!

📅 Registration deadline: 30 June 2026

✅ Register now: https://dde-2026.sci-meet.net/

We look forward to welcoming you to Lisbon!

Dynamics Days Europe 2026 - DDE 2026

17/06/2026

📢 EMS-TAG-MLS Colloquium — 17 June 2026

We are pleased to announce tomorrow’s EMS-TAG-MLS Colloquium.

🗓 Date: 17 June 2026

🕔 Time: 17:00 CET

💻 Format: Online

🎙 Speaker: Prof. Dr. Anna Marciniak-Czochra, Heidelberg University, Germany

📌 Title: Symmetry breaking and selection of unimodal patterns in a new mechanochemical model of pattern formation

In this talk, Prof. Marciniak-Czochra will present a mechanochemical, PDE-based framework motivated by recent experiments on regenerating epithelia, with Hydra as a model system. The model couples morphogen reaction-diffusion dynamics with tissue mechanics through a positive feedback loop, leading to robust symmetry breaking and the emergence of unimodal spatial patterns.

The Zoom link and further information are available on the EMS-TAG-MLS website.

https://sites.google.com/view/ems-tag-mls

Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues and collaborators who may be interested. 😁

Mission The goal of the EMS Topical Activity Group on Mathematical Modelling in Life Sciences (EMS-TAG-MLS) is to promote collaborative research in mathematical modelling for the life sciences in Europe. The activity group provides an interactive environment for research related to the

15/06/2026

👋 A little update from our MTB group — we have been quiet for a while, but definitely not because of a lack of activity. Quite the opposite: things have been so busy that time for posting has been short. We will do our best to catch up with MTB news soon! 🥰

🎉🎉 Today we had a full house, with our two visiting postdocs, Enrique Chipicoski (USP, Brazil) and Erick Moya (USP, Brazil), as well as our former postdoc Vanessa Steindorf (CUNEF, Madrid), who is back with us for a short visit.

Enrique will stay with us for one year, and Erick for five months, both supported by a very prestigious FAPESP fellowship. Vanessa will stay with us for one week.

More soon from MTB!✨️✨️

05/06/2026

18th anniversary of our DSABNS! SAVE THE DATE!!! 1-5 Feb. 2027 | Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
👇

🌟 Save the date! 🌟

We are delighted to invite you to save the date for the 18th International Conference on Dynamical Systems Applied to Biology and Natural Sciences – DSABNS, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 1-5 February 2027.

Since 2010, DSABNS has brought together an international community working at the interface of mathematics, biology, epidemiology, ecology, natural sciences, and complex systems.

This 18th edition will be a special occasion to celebrate years of scientific exchange, collaboration, and friendship.

More information on registration, abstract submission, and the scientific programme will be announced soon.

We look forward to welcoming you to Budapest! 🇭🇺

05/06/2026

🥰 DDE 2026 🥰

Dynamics Days Europe 2026 is going global! 🌍

We are thrilled to share that DDE 2026 has already attracted over 500 participants from all around the world, as shown on the map below.

The vibrant international response highlights the strength and diversity of our community, and we are excited to welcome researchers working across dynamical systems and related fields to Lisbon.

📅 Registration is open until June 30

If you have not registered yet, there is still time to join us for an inspiring meeting full of excellent science, new collaborations, and lively discussions.

We look forward to seeing you at Dynamics Days Europe 2026!

05/05/2026

🎉🎉 New publication out!

Led by Akhil Srivastav, in this study, we develop a nonlinear time-delay mathematical model to investigate tuberculosis transmission in Algeria from 1990 to 2024. Our results show that delays between infection and the onset of infectiousness can strongly shape disease dynamics, potentially destabilizing endemic equilibrium and triggering periodic outbreaks through Hopf bifurcation.

We derive the basic reproduction number (R0), analyze the local and global stability of disease-free and endemic equilibria, and identify the epidemiological parameters with the greatest influence on transmission. Using numerical simulations calibrated with Algerian TB data, we highlight the critical importance of reducing diagnostic delays and ensuring timely treatment to prevent recurrent outbreaks.

These findings reinforce how mathematical modelling can support more effective public health strategies for tuberculosis control.

You cab read it here 👇

This study develops a nonlinear time-delay mathematical model to investigate the transmission dynamics of tuberculosis in Algeria over the period 1990–2024. The model explicitly incorporates a delay representing the incubation period between infection and the onset of infectiousness, which signifi...