Daniel Portnoy

Dr. Daniel Portnoy is a Distinguished Professor (ranked as Professor) in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also affiliated with the Division of Immunology & Pathogenesis. His research focuses on intracellular bacterial pathogens, particularly Listeria monocytogenes, exploring their virulence mechanisms, host immune responses, and strategies for vaccine development. Key projects include studying the role of Listeriolysin O (LLO), bacterial metabolism, and interactions with innate immunity pathways like STING activation.

Research Interests:

• Pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes
• Host-pathogen interactions
• Virulence factor regulation
• Innate and adaptive immunity
• Vaccine design and therapeutics

Advising & Collaboration: Dr. Portnoy has mentored students such as Andrea (co-mentored with Sarah Stanley) and collaborates with researchers like Sarah Stanley and others. A notable recent collaboration led to a published study on bacterial antitumor immunotherapy.

Laboratory: The Portnoy Lab is renowned for its work on Listeria pathogenesis and maintains a lab homepage at UC Berkeley MCB.