Daniel O. Pinto

Daniel is a Ph.D. student at the Laboratory of Molecular Virology under the mentorship of Dr. Fatah Kashanchi. His research focuses on further understanding the mechanisms of viral latency and reactivation, host-pathogen interactions, and cell-to-cell communication mediated by Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) in viral settings, such as in Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) infection.

Daniel has a multidisciplinary background with experience in clinical/forensic toxicology and grant management, successfully securing $500,000.00 in funding from the DOJ. His young academic career is being recognized by awards, such as the John N. Brady Award for Excellence in Retrovirus Research and the BIOS Ph.D. Student Research Fellowship; the Elaine Joyce Outstanding Biology Teaching Award; the College of Science Career Connection Faculty Award (Leadership/mentorship); the Hispanic Student Scholar Award; and recognition for best presentation at conferences (i.e., ASEMV).

His ongoing projects focus on the study of EVs in HTLV-1 pathogenesis; HIV-1 latency reversal and mathematical modeling of viral transcription; and the interaction between EVs and the brain, such as in HIV-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) and HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP).