Nicolas Chomont

Biography

Dr. Nicolas Chomont is an Associate research professor in the Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology at the Université de Montréal. His laboratory is located at the Research Center of the CHUM (CRCHUM). Dr. Chomont received his doctorate in medical virology at the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris VI) under the direction of Prof. Laurent Bélec in the laboratory of Prof. Michel Kazatchkine. He studied the interactions between HIV and genital mucosa and their implications for the sexual transmission of the virus. Between 2004 and 2009, he completed a postdoctoral internship in Dr. Rafick Sékaly’s laboratory at the Université de Montréal and the CRCHUM. His work has led to the identification of the cellular reservoirs of HIV that are responsible for the persistence of the virus during antiretroviral therapies. Dr. Chomont then moved to VGTI-Florida where he was named “Associate Member”. As an independent researcher, he has continued to characterize viral reservoirs as the major obstacle to the eradication of HIV. Since January 2015, Dr. Chomont has joined the Université de Montréal and the CRCHUM where he leads a research program aimed at dissecting the molecular and immunological mechanisms involved in viral latency and developing new therapeutic strategies aimed at Elimination of HIV reservoirs.

Team

• Rémi Fromentin, PharmD, PhD, Associé de recherche
• Amélie Pagliuzza, M.Sc., Assistante de recherche
• Cesar Trifone, PhD, Stagiaire postdoctoral
• Caroline Dufour, étudiante au doctorat
• Armando Espinosa-Ortiz, étudiant au doctorat
• Alessandro Modica, étudiant à la maîtrise

Themes

• Immunology
• Virology

Research topics

• Characterization of cellular and anatomical reservoirs of HIV during triple therapy
• Study of the molecular mechanisms of HIV latency
• Development of new tools to characterize and quantify HIV reservoirs
• Development of therapeutic strategies to eliminate reservoirs of HIV

Publications

• Gantner P, Pagliuzza A, Pardons M, Ramgopal M, Routy JP, Fromentin R, Chomont N. 2020. Single-cell TCR sequencing reveals phenotypically diverse clonally expanded cells harboring inducible HIV proviruses during ART. Nature communications. 11(1):4089.
• Dufour C, Gantner P, Fromentin R, Chomont N. 2020. The multifaceted nature of HIV latency. J Clin Invest. 130(7):3381-3390.
• Massanella M, Puthanakit T, Leyre L, Jupimai T, Sawangsinth P, de Souza M, Suntarattiwong P, Kosalarksa P, Borkird T, Kanjanavanit S, Chokephaibulkit K, Hansudewechakul R, Petdachai W, Mitchell JL, Robb ML, Trautmann L, Ananworanich J, Chomont N. 2020. Continuous prophylactic ARV/ART since birth reduces seeding and persistence of the viral reservoir in vertically HIV-infected children. Clin Infect Dis.
• Leyre L, Kroon E, Vandergeeten C, Sacdalan C, Colby DJ, Buranapraditkun S, Schuetz A, Chomchey N, de Souza M, Bakeman W, Fromentin R, Pinyakorn S, Akapirat S, Trichavaroj R, Chottanapund S, Manasnayakorn S, Rerknimitr R, Wattanaboonyoungcharoen P, Kim JH, Tovanabutra S, Schacker TW, O’Connell R, Valcour VG, Phanuphak P, Robb ML, Michael N, Trautmann L, Phanuphak N, Ananworanich J, Chomont N, RV254/Search010. 2020. Abundant HIV-infected cells in blood and tissues are rapidly cleared upon ART initiation during acute HIV infection. Sci Transl Med. 12(533).