Dr Alyson Miller - Researcher Profile

Biography

Dr Alyson Miller obtained her PhD in 2001 in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh in the area of nitric oxide and chronic heart failure. Following completion of her PhD, she commenced her postdoctoral training at University College London where her research focussed on nitric oxide-mediated signalling in the pulmonary vasculature. In 2003, she moved to Australia and began her research on signalling mechanisms regulating the cerebral circulation under the mentorship of Associate Professor Christopher Sobey. Her research has given novel insight into the roles of reactive oxygen species as novel signalling molecules in cerebral arteries during health, and as mediators of oxidative damage and cerebral dysfunction in the setting of cardiovascular disease and stroke. A major goal of Dr Miller's current research program is to identify novel targets to preserve cerebral vascular function in order to prevent brain damage and dysfunction associated with stroke and vascular risk factors.

Dr Miller has published over 30 publications and has been a Chief Investigator on two NHMRC project grants, and numerous institutional and non-government project grants. Furthermore, Dr Milller has been the recipient of a Postdoctorial fellowship from the Foundation for High Blood Pressure Research, and currently holds a Biomedical Career Development Fellowship from the NHMRC. In the last four years, Alyson has been awarded three international and one national young investigator awards for her research, including the Niels Lassen Award (2009)  from the International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. She is a member of two Editorial boards, serves as a Scholarship Panel member for the NHMRC and is a committee member of both national and international societies.

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Institution: The University of Edinburgh

Year awarded: 2001

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS)

Institution: University of Strathclyde

Year awarded: 1997

Publications

Journal Articles

Broughton, B.R., Brait, V.H., Guida, E., Lee, S., Arumugam, T.V., Gardiner-Mann, C.V., Miller, A.A., Tang, S., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2013, Stroke Increases G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor Expression in the Brain of Male but Not Female Mice, Neurosignals [P], vol E-pub, S Karger AG, Switzerland, pp. 1-11.

Kim, H., Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Thrift, A.G., Arumugam, T., Phan, T.G., Srikanth, V.K., Sobey, C.G., 2012, Vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: role of cerebral hypoperfusion and oxidative stress, Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology [P], vol 385, issue 10, Springer, Germany, pp. 953-959.

De Silva, T.M., Brait, V.H., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., Miller, A.A., 2011, Nox2 oxidase activity accounts for the oxidative stress and vasomotor dysfunction in mouse cerebral arteries following ischemic stroke, PLoS ONE [P], vol 6, issue 12 (Art. No: e28393), Public Library of Science, USA, pp. 1-9.

Chrissobolis, S., Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Kemp-Harper, B.K., Sobey, C.G., 2011, Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in cerebrovascular disease, Frontiers in Bioscience [P], vol 16, Frontiers in Bioscience, USA, pp. 1733-1745.

Bullen, M., Miller, A., Dharmarajah, J., Drummond, G., Sobey, C., Kemp, B., 2011, Vasorelaxant and antiaggregatory actions of the nitroxyl donor isopropylamine NONOate are maintained in hypercholesterolemia, American Journal Of Physiology-Heart And Circulatory Physiology [P], vol 301, issue 4, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. H1405-H1414.

Miller, A.A., De Silva, T.M., Judkins, C.P., Diep, H., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2010, Augmented superoxide production by Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase causes cerebral artery dysfunction during hypercholesterolemia, Stroke [P], vol 41, issue 4, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, USA, pp. 784-789.

Judkins, C.P., Diep, H., Broughton, B.R.S., Mast, A., Hooker, E.U., Miller, A.A., Selemidis, S., Dusting, G.J., Sobey, C.G., Drummond, G.R., 2010, Direct evidence of a role for Nox2 in superoxide production, reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, and early atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoE -/- mice, American Journal Of Physiology-Heart And Circulator..., vol 298, issue 1, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. H-24-H-32.

Broughton, B.R.S., Miller, A.A., Sobey, C.G., 2010, Endothelium-dependent relaxation by G protein-coupled receptor 30 agonists in rat carotid arteries, American Journal Of Physiology-Heart And Circulatory Physiology [P], vol 298, issue 3, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. H1055-H1061.

Gray, G.A., Patrizio, M., Sherry, L., Miller, A., Malaki, M., Wallace, A.F., Leiper, J.M., Vallance, P., 2010, Immunolocalisation and activity of DDAH I and II in the heart and modification post-myocardial infarction, Acta Histochemica [P], vol 112, issue 5, Urban und Fischer Verlag, Germany, pp. 413-423.

Bullen, M.L., Miller, A.A., Andrews, K., Irvine, J.C., Ritchie, R.H., Sobey, C.G., Kemp-Harper, B.K., 2010, Nitroxyl (HNO) as a vasoprotective signaling molecule, Antioxidants and Redox Signaling [P], vol 14, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers, USA, pp. 1675-1686.

Miller, A.A., Budzyn, K., Sobey, C.G., 2010, Vascular dysfunction in cerebrovascular disease: mechanisms and therapeutic intervention, Clinical Science [P], vol 119, issue 1, Portland Press Ltd, UK, pp. 1-17.

De Silva, T.M., Broughton, B.R.S., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., Miller, A.A., 2009, Gender influences cerebral vascular responses to angiotensin II through Nox2-derived reactive oxygen species, Stroke, vol 40, issue 4, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, USA, pp. 1091-1097.

Jackman, K.A., Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2009, Importance of NOX1 for angiotensin II-induced cerebrovascular superoxide production and cortical infarct volume following ischemic stroke, Brain Research [P], vol 1286, Elsevier BV, The Netherlands, pp. 215-220.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., De Silva, T.M., Mast, A., Hickey, H., Williams, J.P., Broughton, B.R.S., Sobey, C.G., 2009, NADPH oxidase activity is higher in cerebral versus systemic arteries of four animal species: Role of Nox2, American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, vol 296, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. H220-H225.

Jackman, K.A., Miller, A.A., De Silva, T.M., Crack, P.J., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2009, Reduction of cerebral infarct volume by apocynin requires pretreatment and is absent in Nox2-deficient mice, British Journal of Pharmacology, vol 156, issue 4, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, UK, pp. 680-688.

Budzyn, K., Ravi, R.M., Miller, A.A., Sobey, C.G., 2008, Mechanisms of augmented vasoconstriction induced by 5-hydroxytryptamine in aortic rings from spontaneously hypertensive rats, British Journal of Pharmacology, vol 155, issue 2, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. (Nature Publishing Group), United Kingdom, pp. 210-216.

Miller, A.A., De Silva, T.M., Jackman, K.A., Sobey, C.G., 2007, Effect of gender and sex hormones on vascular oxidative stress, Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology, vol 34, issue 10, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England UK, pp. 1037-1043.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Mast, A., Schmidt, H.H., Sobey, C.G., 2007, Effect of gender on NADPH-Oxidase activity, expression, and function in the cerebral circulation: role of estrogen, Stroke, vol 38, issue 7, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia PA USA, pp. 2142-2149.

Paravicini, T.M., Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2006, Flow-induced cerebral vasodilatation in vivo involves activation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, NADPH-oxidase, and nitric oxide synthase, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, vol 26, issue 12, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia USA, pp. 836-845.

Judkins, C.P., Sobey, C.G., Dang, T.T., Miller, A.A., Dusting, G.J., Drummond, G.R., 2006, NADPH-induced contractions of mouse aorta do not involve NADPH oxidase: a role for P2X receptors, The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, vol 317, issue 2, The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Bethesda Maryland USA, pp. 644-650.

Miller, A.A., Dusting, G.J., Roulston, C.L., Sobey, C.G., 2006, NADPH-oxidase activity is elevated in penumbral and non-ischemic cerebral arteries following stroke, Brain Research, vol 1111, issue 1, Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam The Netherlands, pp. 111-116.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2006, Novel isoforms of NADPH-oxidase in cerebral vascular control, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, vol 111, issue 3, Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford England, pp. 928-948.

Sobey, C.G., Miller, A.A., 2006, Radicals spark interest in cerebral vasodilator mechanisms. Focus on "TNF-dilates cerebral arteries via NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent Ca2+ spark activation", American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology, vol 290, American Physiological Society, Bethesda USA, pp. 950-951.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2006, Reactive oxygen species in the cerebral circulation: are they all bad?, Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, vol 8, issue 7 & 8, Mary Ann Liebert Inc., New Rochelle USA, pp. 1113-1120.

Miller, A.A., Hislop, A.A., Vallance, P., Haworth, S., 2005, Deletion of the eNOS gene has a greater impact on the pulmonary circulation of male than female mice, American Journal Of Physiology-Lung Cellular And Molecular Physiology [P], vol 289, issue 2, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. L299-L306.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Schmidt, H.H.H., Sobey, C.G., 2005, NADPH oxidase activity and function are profoundly greater in cerebral versus systemic arteries, Circulation Research, vol 97, issue 10, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia USA, pp. 1055-1062.

Nandi, M., Miller, A.A., Stidwill, R., Jacques, T.S., Lam, A.A., Haworth, S., Heales, S., Vallance, P., 2005, Pulmonary hypertension in a GTP-cyclohydrolase 1-deficient mouse, Circulation, vol 111, issue 16, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia USA, pp. 2086-2090.

Miller, A.A., Drummond, G.R., Sobey, C.G., 2005, Selective inhibition of NADPH-oxidase isoforms as a therapeutic strategy in hypertension, Drug Discovery Today: Therapeutic Strategies, vol 2, issue 3, Elsevier, UK, pp. 187-192.

Sobey, C.G., Miller, A.A., 2005, Signalling pathways activated by hydrogen peroxide in vascular smooth muscle, Journal of Hypertension, vol 23, issue 11, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia USA, pp. 1961-1962.

Conference Proceedings

Sobey, C.G., Drummond, G.R., Schmidt, H., Miller, A.A., 2006, Gender influences NADPH oxidase activity in the cerebral circulation, Circulation, 12-15/11/2006, LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, PHILADELPHIA PA 19106-3261 USA, p. II-407.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Investigating the role of ghrelin in the cerebrovascular disease.

Supervisors:

Sobey, C (Main), Miller, A (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Nitroxyl (HNO) as a vasoprotective signalling molecule in cardiovascular disease..

Supervisors:

Kemp, B (Joint-co), Miller, A (Joint).

Completed Supervision

Student:

De Silva, T.

Program of Study:

Defining the role(s) of Nox2-NADPH oxidase in the cerebral circulation. (PHD) 2010.

Supervisors:

Sobey, C (Main), Miller, A (Associate).