Country of Residence
Discipline(s)
Institution
University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
Dr. Jorge Osorio Laboratory
Research Interests
Emerging RNA viruses, antivirals, dengue viruses, zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, apoptosis, innate immunity
Biography
Dr. Daniel Limonta’s training and research is focused on lessening the health and economic burden of global pathogens such as dengue, zika and SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Daniel Limonta was accepted as Research Assistant (Virologist) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). UCSF is one of the best medical schools in the United States for research and NIH funding. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Nevan J. Krogan. The Krogan lab is based at the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UCSF and the Gladstone Institutes. With the use of systems biology, one of the main interests of this lab is the development of new therapeutic strategies against RNA viruses of global importance.
After completing his PhD in Havana, Daniel worked as virologist for over seven years at the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the University of Alberta which is among the top-ranking universities in Canada. While in Havana his main topic of research was the immunopathogenesis of dengue virus, at the University of Alberta he researched the interactions between zika virus and host cells. Specifically, he developed new ex-vivo infection models of zika virus in the human developing brain for immunopathogenesis studies and anti-viral therapeutic strategies. Later, he started to do anti-viral research about SARS-CoV-2, the causing agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other RNA viruses.
Daniel has presented his research at international conferences and scientific institutions in Spain, Brazil, US, Italy, Israel, Germany, Canada and Oman. As a result of his research accomplishments, he was twice the recipient of the most prestigious annual award from the National Academy of Sciences (2009 and 2013) in Cuba. In 2009, he also received the most important individual annual award from the Ministry of Health in Cuba. Dr. Daniel was honoured to be elected as the first Young Affiliate Fellow from Cuba of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He has received Postdoctoral Awards of the American Society for Virology, the American Society for Microbiology and the University of Alberta.