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CURRICULUM VITAE

Benjamin N. Gantner PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology

OFFICE ADDRESS:
Health Research Center
8701 Watertown Plank Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: 414-955-4755
Email: bgantner@mcw.edu

EDUCATION:
- 1997 BA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Anthropology, Champaign-Urbana, IL
- 2004 PhD, University of Washington at Seattle, Department of Immunology, Seattle, WA

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING AND FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS:
01/2005 - 09/2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
09/2007 - 08/2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS:
08/2012 - 10/2016 Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
10/2016 - 08/2018 Senior Research Scientist, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
09/2018 - Present Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
05/2021 - Present Assistant Professor (Secondary Appointment), Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

AWARDS AND HONORS:
09/2002 - 10/2004 National Cancer Institute Trainee, Basic and Cancer Immunology, University of Washington at Seattle
09/2005 - 09/2007 Postdoctoral Training Fellowship (NRSA), Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago
09/2007 - 09/2008 Postdoctoral Training Fellowship (NRSA), Department of Pharmacology, University of Illinois Chicago

MEMBERSHIPS IN HONORARY AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:
02/2021 - Present Society for Redox Biology & Medicine (Member)

EDITORSHIPS/EDITORIAL BOARDS/JOURNAL REVIEWS:
Journal Review
Blood
Scientific Reports
FASEB journal
Infection and Immunity
Oncogene
Nitric Oxide
Endocrinology
Circulation
Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
PLOS One

LOCAL/REGIONAL APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
2021 - Present Reviewer, Office of Research PPG Formation Committee, Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment Research and Education Program (AHW REP)
2021 - Present Reviewer, We Care Scientific Review Committee, Department of Surgery, MCW
03/01/2023 - Present Vice Chair, Institutional Biosafety Commitee, Medical College of Wisconsin

NATIONAL ELECTED/APPOINTED LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS:
10/01/2021 - Present Reviewer, Molecular Signaling (Basic Science 9) Fellowship, American Heart Association
10/01/2022 - Present Reviewer, Career Development Award / Basic Sciences #1 Review Committee, American Heart Association
10/01/2023 - Present Reviewer, Respiratory Sciences SBIR/STTR Review Panel, National Institute of Health

RESEARCH GRANTS/AWARDS/CONTRACTS/PROJECTS:
Active
Peer Review
Title:
A redox-sensitive switch in the macrophage nucleus regulates acute phase inflammatory injury
Source:
NHLBI (NIH)
Role:
Multi-PI
PI:
Benjamin Gantner, PhD (MPI) / Marcelo Bonini, PhD (MPI)
Dates:
04/01/2022 - 05/31/2026
Direct Funds:
$699,995
  
Title:
Leveraging genetic mapping for personalized targeting of breast cancer microenvironment
Source:
NIH
Role:
Co-investigator
PI:
Amit Joshi
Dates:
07/01/2022 - 06/30/2027
  
Pending
Peer Review
Title:
A neutrophil subset that minimizes tissue injury and maximizes antibacterial immunity
Source:
NIH
Role:
PI
PI:
Gantner
Dates:
07/01/2024 - 06/30/2029
Direct Funds:
$1,998,635
  
Prior
Peer Review
Title:
Macrophage Redox State in Sterilizing
Source:
NIH / NIAID
Role:
Co-Investigator
PI:
Marcelo Bonini, PhD
Dates:
04/07/2017 - 03/31/2022
Direct Funds:
$1,379,000 (total for all years)
  
Title:
WBCS Metabolic regulation of immunity in the tumor microenvironment
Source:
Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse
Role:
Co-investigator
PI:
Marcelo Bonini
Dates:
06/01/2019 - 05/31/2021
Direct Funds:
$100,000
  
Title:
Discriminating Inflammatory and Physical Injury
Source:
MCW - Research Affairs Committee
Role:
PI
PI:
Benjamin Gantner
Dates:
07/01/2019 - 06/31/2021
Direct Funds:
$25,000
  
Title:
Targeting the Oncometabolism with Mitochondria-directed Chemicals
Source:
DOD Army Research Office
Role:
PI
PI:
Gantner
Dates:
03/2020 - 05/2021
  
Non-Peer Review
Title:
Recruitment / Startup
Source:
AHW Research and Education Program
Role:
Principal Investigator
PI:
Gantner
Dates:
09/01/2018 - 08/31/2022
Direct Funds:
$750,000 (total for all years)
  

INVITED LECTURES/WORKSHOPS/PRESENTATIONS:
Local
Gantner, BN, Intravital Imaging Reveals Novel Inflammatory Programming by Macrophages, Invited Lecture at Department of Pathology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 04/20/2017
Gantner, BN, Intravital Imaging Reveals Novel Inflammatory Programming by Macrophages, Invited Lecture at Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 02/14/2018
Gantner-BN, Watching the Watchers: Intravital Imaging to Study Pulmonary Neutrophils, Center for Immunology Retreat, Milwaukee, WI, 10/18/2018 - Present
Gantner-BN, Physiology Seminar Series, Milwaukee, WI, 12/12/2018 - Present
Gantner-BN, Watching the Watchers: Intravital Imaging to Study Neutrophil Polarization, MCW Center for Immunology WIP, Milwaukee, WI, 01/04/2019 - Present
Gantner-BN, Reprogramming Neutrophils to Control Tissue Injury, Cancer Center Retreat, Milwaukee, WI, 04/26/2019 - Present
Gantner-BN, Inflammatory Programming of Innate Immune Cells: In Vitro and In Vivo, MCW CVC Research in Progress Series, Milwaukee, WI, 12/11/2019 - Present
Inflammatory Programming of Innate Immune Cells: In Vivo and In Vitro, Department of Biochemistry Seminary Series, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 05/20/2020 - Present
 
Regional
Gantner, BN, Intravital Imaging In Moving Organs, Invited Lecture at Chicago Biomedical Consortium Advanced Imaging Symposium, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 02/04/2016
 
National
Gantner, BN, Dectin-1 promotes TLR2 mediated inflammatory cytokine transcription, Invited Workshop Talk at Keystone Symposium, Innate Immunity: Evolution and Link to Adaptive Immunity, Taos, NM, 02/15/2002
Gantner, BN, Intravital Imaging Reveals Novel Inflammatory Programming by Macrophages, Invited Lecture at Wayne State University Integrative Biosciences Center, Detroit. MI, 06/14/2017
 

COMMITTEE SERVICE:
Medical College of Wisconsin
01/2019 - Present Committee Member, MCW Cardiovascular Center Space and Equipment Committee, MCW Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin
02/2020 - 01/2023 Committee Member, Institutional Biosafety Committee, MCW/Froedtert/Versiti/Children's
01/2022 - Present Committee Member, MCW Cancer Center Space Committee, Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center
 

MEDICAL COLLEGE TEACHING ACTIVITIES:
Medical Student Education
2020 - 2022 Molecules to Cells (M1), Preceptor for group discussions (2x1.5hr)
 
Postdoctoral Fellow Education
2021 - Present Lecturer for PHYS08270: Current Concepts in Cardiovascular Biology
 

EXTRAMURAL TEACHING:
Community/Lay Public
08/1999 - 12/1999 University of Washington at Seattle, Introduction to Immunology
 
Graduate Student Education
03/2018 University of Illinois at Chicago, Introduction to Immunity in Integrative Biology (Lecturer for GEMS510)
04/2018 University of Illinois at Chicago, Immune evasion in Microbial Pathogenesis (Lecturer for MIM560)
 

MCW STUDENTS, FACULTY, RESIDENTS AND CLINICAL/RESEARCH FELLOWS MENTORED:
Graduate Students
PhD Committees
Rachel Schlaak, Medical College of Wisconsin, 02/01/2019 - 07/13/2020 Identifying Genetic Modifiers of Radiation-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction Using Pre-Clinical Models
Olivia Koehn, Medical College of Wisconsin, 11/01/2019 - 01/23/2023 Investigating regulation of small GTPase prenylation and localization by SmgGDS and unique isoformspecific differences of RAC1 and RAC1B
Alyssa Fernandez, Medical College of Wisconsin, 07/01/2020 - Present
Gage Stuttgen, Medical College of Wisconsin, 07/01/2020 - Present
Jose Rosas, Medical College of Wisconsin, 09/01/2020 - 12/02/2022 IL-12 Promotes Secondary Damage and Locomotor Impairment in Spinal Cord Injury
Raymundo Nunez, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2021 - Present
Christopher Hansen, Medical College of Wisconsin, 05/01/2022 - Present
PhD Students Advised
Katy LaFond, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2021 - Present
 
Postdoctoral Students
Diego Coelho, Medical College of Wisconsin, 01/01/2019 - 06/01/2023 Co-mentor, Coelho DR, Palma FR, Paviani V, LaFond KM, Huang Y, Wang D, Wray B, Rao S, Yue F, Bonini MG, Gantner BN. SOCS1 regulates a subset of NFκB-target genes through direct chromatin binding and defines macrophage functional phenotypes. iScience. 2023 Apr 21;26(4):106442. PMCID: PMC10068561
Veronica Paviani, Medical College of Wisconsin, 06/01/2019 - 06/01/2022 Co-mentor
German Fonseca Cabrera, Medical College of Wisconsin, 11/01/2019 - 09/17/2021 Advisor
 


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Refereed Journal Publications/Original Papers
1. Coelho DR, Palma FR, Paviani V, LaFond KM, Huang Y, Wang D, Wray B, Rao S, Yue F, Bonini MG, Gantner BN. SOCS1 regulates a subset of NFκB-target genes through direct chromatin binding and defines macrophage functional phenotypes. iScience. 2023 Apr 21;26(4):106442. PMCID: PMC10068561
2. Puzyrenko A, Jacobs ER, Padilla N, Devine A, Aljadah M, Gantner BN, Pan AY, Lai S, Dai Q, Rubenstein JC, North PE, Simpson PM, Willoughby RE, O'Meara CC, Flinn MA, Lough JW, Ibrahim EH, Zheng Z, Sun Y, Felix J, Hunt BC, Ross G, Rui H, Benjamin IJ. Collagen-Specific HSP47<sup>+</sup> Myofibroblasts and CD163<sup>+</sup> Macrophages Identify Profibrotic Phenotypes in Deceased Hearts With SARS-CoV-2 Infections. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Feb 21;12(4):e027990. PMCID: PMC10111490
3. Xu H, Thomas MJ, Kaul S, Kallinger R, Ouweneel AB, Maruko E, Oussaada SM, Jongejan A, Cense HA, Nieuwdorp M, Serlie MJ, Goldberg IJ, Civelek M, Parks BW, Lusis AJ, Knaack D, Schill RL, May SC, Reho JJ, Grobe JL, Gantner B, Sahoo D, Sorci-Thomas MG. Pcpe2, a Novel Extracellular Matrix Protein, Regulates Adipocyte SR-BI-Mediated High-Density Lipoprotein Uptake. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2021 Nov;41(11):2708-2725. PMCID: PMC8551036
4. Puzyrenko A, Jacobs ER, Sun Y, Felix JC, Sheinin Y, Ge L, Lai S, Dai Q, Gantner BN, Nanchal R, North PE, Simpson PM, Rui H, Benjamin IJ. Pneumocytes are distinguished by highly elevated expression of the ER stress biomarker GRP78, a co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2, in COVID-19 autopsies. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2021 Sep;26(5):859-868. PMCID: PMC8357488
5. Danes JM, de Abreu ALP, Kerketta R, Huang Y, Palma FR, Gantner BN, Mathison AJ, Urrutia RA, Bonini MG. Inorganic arsenic promotes luminal to basal transition and metastasis of breast cancer. FASEB J. 2020 Dec;34(12):16034-16048. PMCID: PMC8289339
6. Schlaak RA, Frei A, Fish BL, Harmann L, Gasperetti T, Pipke JL, Sun Y, Rui H, Flister MJ, Gantner BN, Bergom C. Acquired Immunity Is Not Essential for Radiation-Induced Heart Dysfunction but Exerts a Complex Impact on Injury. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Apr 16;12(4). PMCID: PMC7226421
7. He C, Danes JM, Hart PC, Zhu Y, Huang Y, de Abreu AL, O'Brien J, Mathison AJ, Tang B, Frasor JM, Wakefield LM, Ganini D, Stauder E, Zielonka J, Gantner BN, Urrutia RA, Gius D, Bonini MG. SOD2 acetylation on lysine 68 promotes stem cell reprogramming in breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Nov 19;116(47):23534-23541. PMCID: PMC6876149
8. Baig MS, Zaichick SV, Mao M, de Abreu AL, Bakhshi F, Hart PC, Sarqib U, Deng J, Chatterjee S, Block M, Vogel S, Malik A, Consolaro M, Christman JW, Minshall RD, **Gantner BN, **Bonini MG. NOS1-derived nitric oxide promotes NF-κB transcriptional activity through inhibition of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1. J Exp Med. Sep 21;212(10):1725-1738. 2015. PMCID: PMC4577833, **Corresponding author
9. Chaudhuri S, Gantner BN, Ye RD, Cianciotto NP, Freitag NE. The Listeria monocytogenes ChiA chitinase enhances virulence through suppression of host innate immunity. MBio. 4:e00617-12, 2013. PMCID: PMC3604766.
10. Sieracki NA, Gantner BN, Mao M, Horner JH, Ye RD, Malik AB, Newcomb ME, Bonini MG. Bioluminescent detection of peroxynitrite with a boronic acid-caged luciferin. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 61C:40-50, 2013. PMCID: PMC3795912
11. Gantner BN, Jin H, Qian F, Hay N, He B, Ye RD. The Akt1 isoform is required for optimal IFN-beta transcription through direct phosphorylation of beta-catenin. Journal of Immunology. 189(6):3104-11, 2012. PMCID: PMC3658160.
12. Qian F, Deng J, Gantner BN, Flavell RA, Dong C, Christman JW, Ye RD. Map kinase phosphatase 5 protects against sepsis-induced acute lung injury. American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. 302(9):L866-74, 2012. PMCID: PMC3362165.
13. Laslo P, Spooner CJ, Warmflash A, Lancki DW, Lee HJ, Sciammas R, Gantner BN, Dinner AR, Singh H. Multilineage transcriptional priming and determination of alternate hematopoietic cell fates. Cell. 126(4):755-66, 2006. PMID: 1692339
14. Gantner BN, Simmons RM, Underhill DM. Dectin-1 mediates macrophage recognition of Candida albicans yeast but not filaments. EMBO Journal 24(6):1277-86, 2005. PMCID: PMC556398.
15. Gantner BN, Simmons RM, Canavera SJ, Akira S, Underhill DM. Collaborative induction of inflammatory responses by dectin-1 and Toll-like receptor 2. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 197(9):1107-17, 2003. PMCID: PMC2193968.
16. Norment AM, Bogatzki LY, Gantner BN, Bevan MJ. Murine CCR9, a chemokine receptor for thymus-expressed chemokine that is up-regulated following pre-TCR signaling. Journal of Immunology. Jan 15;164(2):639-648. 2000. PMID: 10623805.
 
Books, Chapters, and Reviews
1. Gantner BN**, LaFond KM, Bonini MG. Nitric oxide in cellular adaptation and disease Redox Biology. July 2020;34. ** Corresponding author
2. Palma FR, He C, Danes JM, Paviani V, Coelho DR, Gantner BN, Bonini MG. Mitochondrial Superoxide Dismutase: What the Established, the Intriguing, and the Novel Reveal About a Key Cellular Redox Switch. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2020 Apr 01;32(10):701-714. PMCID: PMC7047081
3. Bonini MG, Gantner BN. The multifaceted activities of AMPK in tumor progression--why the "one size fits all" definition does not fit at all? IUBMB Life. 2013 Nov;65(11):889-96.
4. Gantner BN, Singh H. Immunology: Short-term memory. Nature. 2007 Jun 21;447(7147):916-7.
5. Underhill DM, Gantner B. Integration of Toll-like receptor and phagocytic signaling for tailored immunity. Microbes Infect. 2004 Dec;6(15):1368-73.
6. Palma FR, Gantner BN, Sakiyama MJ, Kayzuka C, Shukla S, Lacchini R, Cunniff B, Bonini MG. ROS production by mitochondria: function or dysfunction? Oncogene. 2024 Jan;43(5):295-303.