“Creating human translational models to bridge the gap between bench discoveries and clinical advances”
— Miller Lab, 2026
Focus Areas
We investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving neurodegeneration, with a focus on amyloid-β and α-synuclein pathology using human iPSC-derived neural organoids, primary human tissue, and proteomics.
We study how viral and immune-mediated insults trigger neurodegenerative cascades, including how SARS-CoV-2 and Long COVID induce Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid-β pathology in human retinal tissue.
The retina offers a uniquely accessible window into CNS pathology. We use human retinal explants and organoids to identify biomarkers of systemic neurological conditions and characterize disease-vulnerable circuits.
We are defining the neuropathological mechanisms underlying PANDAS using primary human brain tissue and cortical organoids to identify cellular substrates of autoimmune-driven neuropsychiatric disease.
Selected Work
Alzheimer's & Dementia · 2026
Miller SJ, Prokopenko D, Bai P, Mondal P, Scott A, Zhang W, Gomm A, Zhang S, Child DD, Shen N, Ward J, Schulte S, Lei D, Hafler BP, Wang C, Tanzi RE, Zhang C
Science Advances · 2025
Miller SJ, Dhodapkar RM, Sutova HE, Xue Y, Lee S, Logan R, Ran C, Bhatta S, Gomm A, Ju IG, Heyang M, Darji RY, DiStasio M, Tanzi RE, Zhang C, Zhou ZJ, Hafler BP
Nature Neuroscience · 2019
Miller SJ, Philips T, Kim N, Dastgheyb R, Chen Z, Hsieh YC, Daigle JG, Datta M, Chew J, Vidensky S, Pham JT, Hughes EG, Robinson MB, Sattler R, Tomer R, Suk JS, Bergles DE, Haughey N, Pletnikov M, Hanes J, Rothstein JD
Updates
