Daniel Blanco-Melo

Daniel Blanco-Melo is an Assistant Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he leads the Blanco-Melo Lab in the Department of Microbiology. His work integrates molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics to study evolutionary strategies hosts have developed against viral infections, aiming to design broadly acting antiviral therapeutics.

Research Focus: The lab investigates ancient and modern viral infections, host immune system evolution, and cross-species viral dynamics. Recent work on Influenza A virus NS1 expression (published in Frontiers in Microbiology) highlights hierarchical inhibition of host responses.

Scientific Recognition:

• Named in SN10: Scientists to Watch (2024) by Science News Magazine

Lab Activities: The team explores host-viral co-evolution and its implications for human history and emerging threats, with strong ties to Latin American scientific communities and initiatives like the Ancient Pathogen Genomics Symposium.