Sarah Millar | Mount Sinai

About Me

Sarah E. Millar, PhD is the Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professorial Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenearive Medicine, Director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, and a Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences and the Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on inter-cellular signaling, and transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in the development, regeneration and stem cells of epithelial tissues. She is an Editorial Board member for Developmental Cell and Experimental Dermatology, and a Senior Editor for the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Dr. Millar has received several awards in recognition of her research, including an NIH MERIT Award for her work on Wnt signaling in the skin, and the 2017 William Montagna Lectureship Award of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. She currently serves as President-elect of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Millar Lab website: http://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/millarlab/

Language

English

Position

DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF STEM CELL BIOLOGY AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, DIRECTOR, DEAN’S CORE FACILITIES, DIRECTOR, BLACK FAMILY STEM CELL INSTITUTE, PROFESSOR | Dermatology, PROFESSOR | Oncological Sciences

Research Topics

Aging, Cancer, Cellular Differentiation, Chromatin, Dermatology, Developmental Biology, Differentiation, Embryology, Epigenetics, Epithelial Cells, Gene Expressions, Gene Regulation, Gene editing, Genetics, Genomics, Induced pluripotent stem cells, Knockout Mice, Molecular Biology, Morphogenesis, Organogenesis, Receptors, Regeneration, Signal Transduction, Skin Cancer, Stem Cells, Transcription Factors, Transcriptional Activation and Repression, Transgenic Mice

Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas

Development Regeneration and Stem Cells [DRS]

Education

BA, Cambridge University

PhD, Imperial College, London University

Awards

2019

Vice-President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology

Society for Investigative Dermatology

2017

William Montagna Lectureship Award

Society for Investigative Dermatology

2016

FOCUS Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine

University of Pennsylvania

2013

Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellow

Drexel University College of Medicine

2012

MERIT Award

NIAMS/NIH

Research

Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating the development, patterning and postnatal renewal of the skin and ectodermal appendage organs such as hair follicles, teeth, and taste papillae, and identifying stem and progenitor cell populations in these organs, is critical for developing new therapies to accelerate wound healing, treat hair loss diseases, repair or replace diseased teeth, and ameliorate taste dysfunction. Research in the Millar lab focuses on cell-cell signaling and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie these processes. In published research, we identified Wnt/beta-catenin signaling as a key pathway required for initiating the formation of ectodermal appendages from multipotent cells in mammalian embryos, and in controlling development and patterning of haired versus hairy skin. By analyzing genetic mouse models and tissues from human patients carrying mutations in the WNT10A gene, we showed that Wnt signaling plays key roles in regulating the functions of a wide variety of adult epithelial stem cells, as well as controlling specialized differentiation programs in palmoplantar skin. We have also identified critical functions for epigenetic regulators including micro-RNAs and chromatin modifiers in skin development and regeneration. Ongoing research interests include: - Investigating mechanisms that cause ectodermal dysplasia in patients with mutations in the WNT10A gene and testing potential therapeutic strategies - Determining the mechanisms that underlie the formation and maintenance of hairy versus hairless skin and regulate hair patterning - Delineating the functions of histone deacetylase chromatin modifiers in skin development, stem cells and cancer - Identifying pioneer transcription factors that control development and stem cell activity in skin and oral epithelia For more detailed information please visit the Millar lab website: labs.icahn.mssm.edu/millarlab/