Miller Lab

Research Overview

Neurotransmitter Storage

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifaceted disorder that involves several neurotransmitter systems and a range of motor and non-motor behaviors. The most debilitating motor dysfunction is caused by a concomitant loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and dopamine in the striatum. Our lab focuses on how disruption of the proper storage and release of dopamine from vesicles plays a key role in the loss of dopamine neurons, leading to the development of disease. We use a combination of electrochemical and pharmacological techniques in a wide range of models. We study the role of vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) and synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2C (SV2C) in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis.

Exposome

The exposome concept highlights the importance of environmental factors in disease development. The exposomics approach allows for a systematic analysis of non-genetic contributors to neurodegenerative disease in an unbiased fashion. Using the untargeted metabolomics approach, a list of environmental chemicals was found to be enriched in human patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, providing important targets for scientific analysis and policy consideration. The lab has also established a platform to study environmental determinants of aging in C. elegans using ultra high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics (UHRMS). This platform enables us to measure the impact of toxicants on longevity and age-related cognition in C. elegans. The same platform can be utilized to study human samples, making this method highly translational and providing insights into age-related diseases and potential medical intervention.

For additional information, please visit The Human Exposome Project https://humanexposomeproject.com/

About Dr. Miller

Dr. Miller moved to Columbia University in 2018. He is Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Vice Dean for Research Strategy and Innovation at Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He also has appointments in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Department of Neurology. As an international expert on the exposome, Dr. Miller is a faculty member of the Irving Institute CTSA, and is currently leading the Columbia Exposome Initiative. Dr. Miller began his work on the exposome in 2010. Since that time he has founded and directed the first NIH center on the exposome (HERCULES Exposome Research Center), authored the first book on the topic, and served as an advisor to several international groups. From 2013 to 2019, Dr. Miller served as the Editor-in-Chief of Toxicological Sciences, the flagship journal of the Society of Toxicology.

Dr. Miller completed his PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Georgia and postdoctoral training in molecular neuroscience at Emory University and Duke University. From 1998 to 2002, he was faculty member in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Miller moved to Emory University in 2002. He served as Professor at the Department of Environmental Health in the Rollins School of Public Health and the Departments of Pharmacology and Neurology in the School of Medicine and Associate Dean for Research at Rollins School of Public Health from 2009 to 2018.