Research Projects

This overarching effort is designed to develop and optimize methods to measure exogenous and endogenous small molecules in human samples. This work is based in the Center for Innovative Exposomics with numerous collaborations across Columbia and throughout the world. Some of the applications are listed below, but there are several other examples including Parkinson’s disease and chronic kidney disease. 

• Gary W. Miller
• Randolph Singh
• Yunjia Lai
• Jocelyn Dicent
• Carolina Duarte Hospital
• Vrinda Kalia 

Research Infrastructure for Environmental Exposure Assessment in Europe funded by the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructure (ESFRI)-European Commission.

Building off the decades of work by Richard Mayeux and his team, this effort involves two projects conducted in collaboration with partners in Neurology. WHICAP is a community-based study of aging based in Washington Heights. EFIGA is a project based in the Dominican Republic. The Miller team and the Exposomics Laboratory is conducting high-resolution mass spectrometry to provide metabolomics and exposomics data to help better understand the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Gary W. Miller
• Vrinda Kalia
• Randolph Singh
• Paolo Reho

Funding: NIA RF1 AG066107-01A1 and R01 AG067501
Collaboration: Dr. Richard Mayeux and Dr. Badri Vardarajan 

This effort is based upon a longstanding collaboration with the Mayo Clinic. The Center for Innovative Exposomics supports this project in collaboration with the Miller Laboratory. The Center provides expertise in high-resolution mass spectrometry to study primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cholangitis. 

• Gary W. Miller

Funding: RC2DK118619 and R01 DK126691
Collaboration: Dr. Kostas Lazaridis and Dr. Dean Jones

Team SAMBAI aims to create an unprecedented resource to define the factors that cause and influence disparate outcomes in diverse underserved populations. This project will look at social, environmental, biological, and genetic determinants of disease is the African diaspora. Dr. Miller’s team will lead Work Package 2 to conduct the exposomics analysis. 

• Gary W. Miller
• Randolph Singh
• Howie Wu
• HuiChen Wu 
• Kam-Meng Tchou-Wong

Funding: Cancer Grand Challenge-SAMBAI funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute
Collaboration: Dr. Melissa Davis and SAMBAI

This project examines the role of vesicular storage of dopamine in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. It builds upon the lab’s work of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2; SLC18A2) and the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2C (SV2C). The premise is that poor handling of dopamine increases vulnerability of the dopamine neuron in Parkinson’s disease. A range of environmental chemicals disrupt the ability of vesicles to store dopamine, which may contribute to the onset and progression of the disease.

• Gary W. Miller
• Meghan Bucher
• Haejung Chung

Partners: Ali Salahpour
Funding: NIEHS R01 ES023839

Our laboratory has a long history of studying mechanisms of neurotoxicity using a range of tools. Over the past few years we have been using the model organism C. elegans to study how various chemicals disrupt neuronal function. 

• Gary W. Miller
• Meghan Bucher
• Joceyln Dicent
• Carolina Duarte Hospital

Funding:  NIEHS R01 ES023839

Our work on SV2C was initiated by the observation that the molecule appears to mediate the counterintuitive ability of smoking and nicotine to prevent Parkinson’s disease. This project builds upon the work on SV2C in PD. The lab previously showed that SV2C regulated the storage and release of dopamine in the nigrostriatal system. The team is now trying to develop pharmaceutical agents to improve outcomes in Parkinson's disease.

• Gary W. Miller
• Meghan Bucher
• Haejung Chung 

Partners: Ali Salahpour
Funding: SPARK-NS