Biography

Title

• Pediatrician Infectious Disease Specialist (2020)
• Director of Clinical Research (2020)
• Full-time Professor, Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal (2020)

• MPH, Epidemiology, University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Seattle, Washington (2008)
• Infectious Diseases Fellowship, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (2006)
• MD, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (2001)
• PhD, Immunology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (2000)

Dr. Gantt’s current research focus is the determinants of cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission, and the prevention of disease from congenital CMV infection. These projects include basic and translational studies of CMV transmission and immune control in humans and mice, clinical trials of CMV vaccines and diagnostic assays, and operational studies of newborn CMV screening.

• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• Congenital infection
• Viral genomics
• Immunology
• Vaccine development
• Mathematical modeling

Career Summary

Dr. Gantt is a Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialist and the Director of Clinical Research at CHU Ste-Justine, and Full Professor in the Departments of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases & Immunology and of Pediatrics at the University of Montreal. He obtained an Sc.B. with Honors in Evolutionary Biology at Brown University. He then received M.D. and Ph.D. degrees through the Medical Scientist Training Program at New York University School of Medicine, where he worked on malaria vaccine development in the Department of Immunology. Dr. Gantt then completed a residency in Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases Fellowship, and an M.P.H. in Epidemiology at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, addressing transmission of pathogenesis of HIV and herpesgroup viruses. Prior to arriving at UdeM and CHU Ste-Justine, Dr. Gantt was the Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia and Director of Clinical Research at BC Children’s Hospital. 

Awards and Distinctions

• Academic Merit, The University of BC, Department of Pediatrics, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2014
• Department of Pediatrics Residents Annual Teaching Award (awarded to the Division of Infectious Diseases), 2018
• NIH Roadmap Clinical Research Career Development Program Scholar, 2006
• Young Investigator Award, Conference on Retroviruses & Opportunistic Infections, 2006
• University of Washington Center for AIDS Research New Investigator Award, 2007
• NIH Pediatric Research LRP Award, 2003
• Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, 2001
• The Maurice Freiman Award for Clinical Excellence, 2001
• Rosenbluth Foundation International Research Award, 1999
• Honors for Undergraduate Research, Brown University, 1993
• Sigma Xi Society, 1993

Major Fundings

1. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
   Title: «Human Cytomegalovirus as a Driver of Adverse Health Outcomes among Children Exposed to HIV in Utero».
   2020/09 - 2023/08
2. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
   Title: «Household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a well-characterized African cohort».
   2020/05 - 2021/04
3. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
   Title: «COVID-19 Rapid Research FO - Social Policy and Public Health Responses».
   2020/05 - 2021/04
4. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
   Title : «Dynamique de la réplication des cytomégalovirus muqueux et obstacles à la dissémination lors de l'acquisition de l'infection».
   2018 – 2023
5. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
   Ttile : «Déterminants viraux de la transmission naturelle du cytomégalovirus humain».
   2018 – 2023

Presentations

• “Prevention of CMV infection”, Pediatric Grand Rounds, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Oct 26th, 2019.
• “Advances and controversies in reducing the toll of congenital cytomegalovirus infection”, Pediatric Grand Rounds, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, April 24th, 2019.
• “Congenital CMV infection”, Pediatric Grand Rounds, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Sept 26th, 2018
• “Novel insights into CMV transmission and implications for vaccine design”, Duke University Human Vaccine Institute Seminar Series, Durham, November 19th, 2017.
• “Modeling the efficiency of natural transmission of cytomegalovirus using human cohort studies”, Dalhousie University, Microbiology Seminar Series, Halifax, May 23rd, 2017.

Publications

1. Gantt S, Goldfarb DM, Park A, Rawlinson W, Boppana SB, Lazzarotto T, Mertz LM. Performance of the Alethia CMV Assay for Detection of Cytomegalovirus by Use of Neonatal Saliva Swabs. J Clin Microbiol. 2020 Mar 25;58(4):e01951-19. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01951-19. PMID: 31969426; PMCID: PMC7098765.
2. Mayer BT, Krantz EM, Wald A, Corey L, Casper C, Gantt S, Schiffer JT. Estimating the Risk of Human Herpesvirus 6 and Cytomegalovirus Transmission to Ugandan Infants from Viral Shedding in Saliva by Household Contacts. Viruses. 2020 Feb 3;12(2):171. doi: 10.3390/v12020171. PMID: 32028569; PMCID: PMC7077293.
3. Saccoccio FM, Jenks JA, Itell HL, Li SH, Berry M, Pollara J, Casper C, Gantt S, Permar SR. Humoral Immune Correlates for Prevention of Postnatal Cytomegalovirus Acquisition. J Infect Dis. 2019 Jul 31;220(5):772-780. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz192. PMID: 31107951; PMCID: PMC6667799.
4. Kaur A, Itell HL, Ehlinger EP, Varner V, Gantt S, Permar SR. Natural history of postnatal rhesus cytomegalovirus shedding by dams and acquisition by infant rhesus monkeys. PLoS One. 2018 Oct 24;13(10):e0206330. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206330. PMID: 30356332; PMCID: PMC6200253.
5. Boucoiran I, Mayer BT, Krantz EM, Marchant A, Pati S, Boppana S, Wald A, Corey L, Casper C, Schiffer JT, Gantt S. Nonprimary Maternal Cytomegalovirus Infection After Viral Shedding in Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2018 Jul;37(7):627-631. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000001877. PMID: 29889809; PMCID: PMC6016842.
6. Goshen O, Goldfarb DM, Book L, Tilley P, Gantt S. Recovery of cytomegalovirus DNA from newborn saliva samples by different methods. J Clin Virol. 2018 Jul;104:73-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2018.05.001. Epub 2018 May 5. PMID: 29753934.
7. Gadkar VJ, Goldfarb DM, Gantt S, Tilley PAG. Real-time Detection and Monitoring of Loop Mediated Amplification (LAMP) Reaction Using Self-quenching and De-quenching Fluorogenic Probes. Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 3;8(1):5548. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23930-1. PMID: 29615801; PMCID: PMC5883045.
8. Mayer BT, Krantz EM, Swan D, Ferrenberg J, Simmons K, Selke S, Huang ML, Casper C, Corey L, Wald A, Schiffer JT, Gantt S. Transient Oral Human Cytomegalovirus Infections Indicate Inefficient Viral Spread from Very Few Initially Infected Cells. J Virol. 2017 May 26;91(12):e00380-17. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00380-17. PMID: 28381570; PMCID: PMC5446638.
9. Gantt S, Dionne F, Kozak FK, Goshen O, Goldfarb DM, Park AH, Boppana SB, Fowler K. Cost-effectiveness of Universal and Targeted Newborn Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection. JAMA Pediatr. 2016 Dec 1;170(12):1173-1180. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2016. PMID: 27723885.
10. Mayer BT, Matrajt L, Casper C, Krantz EM, Corey L, Wald A, Gantt S, Schiffer JT. Dynamics of Persistent Oral Cytomegalovirus Shedding During Primary Infection in Ugandan Infants. J Infect Dis. 2016 Dec 1;214(11):1735-1743. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw442. Epub 2016 Sep 20. PMID: 27651417; PMCID: PMC5144733.