Sarah Millar | Mount Sinai

About Me

Sarah E. Millar, PhD is Director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute, and Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professorial Chair in the Departments of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research focuses on the roles of Wnt signaling and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in development and regeneration of the skin and its appendages. She is an Editorial Board member for Developmental Cell and Experimental Dermatology, and Deputy 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. Millar Lab website: http://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/millarlab/

Language

English

Position

DIRECTOR, BLACK FAMILY STEM CELL INSTITUTE, SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR BASIC RESEARCH, PROFESSOR | Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology, PROFESSOR | Oncological Sciences, PROFESSOR | Dermatology

Research Topics

Cancer, Cellular Differentiation, Chromatin, Dermatology, Developmental Biology, Differentiation, Epigenetics, Gene Expressions, Gene Regulation, Gene editing, Genetics, Genomics, Knockout Mice, Morphogenesis, Organogenesis, Receptors, Regeneration, 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/