Dr. Laura Miller

Department: Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology
lauramiller@ksu.edu

“Dr. Miller combines virology, immunology, and genomics using advanced techniques to uncover the genes and immune system components involved in healthy and diseased tissues. Tumors are complex ecosystems with diverse cell types interacting within distinct microenvironments. Spatial transcriptomics allow us to map gene expression within the tumor microenvironment, revealing how different cell types, including immune cells, stromal cells, and cancer cells, interact and contribute to tumor progression. Cancer often develops mechanisms to evade or suppress the immune response. Spatial transcriptomics can help identify the spatial localization of these mechanisms and pinpoint key genes involved, paving the way for overcoming immune resistance. By exploring the spatial organization and interactions within the tissue microenvironment, Dr. Miller’s team can gain deeper insight into cancer biology and develop more effective treatment strategies. Analyzing and interpreting complex spatial transcriptomics data remains a challenge, requiring advanced computational tools and expertise, and accessibility limitations exist, yet it holds immense potential to revolutionized our understanding and treatment of cancer.”