Speakers: Laura Miller, PhD

Laura Miller, PhD

Associate Professor
Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine,
Kansas State University

 

Dr. Laura Miller received her Bachelor of Science with Honors in Medical Microbiology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, conferred by the University of Reading, England. After serving as a leader of the serological testing at Pirbright during the UK Foot-and-Mouth Disease Epidemic of 2001, Dr. Miller moved to the United States as a Research Microbiologist at the US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska. In 2007, Dr. Miller moved within the USDA to the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Miller came to Kansas State University in 2023 as an Associate Professor in Veterinary Virology, Immunology and Genomics. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts. She has served President of the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists twice in 2016 and 2023, and currently serves as Member-At-Large NC-229 Multistate Committee for Detection and Control of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus and Emerging Viral Diseases of Swine, and as a Project Director of the NSRP-8 National Animal Genome Research Program.

Dr. Miller’s multidisciplinary research focus has been on virus-host cell interactions and application of this knowledge towards a better understanding of the pathogenesis and immunology of viral pathogens. She has used and adapted evolving technologies (Microarrays, Serial Analysis of Gene Expression, Digital Gene Expression Tag Profiling Expression, RNA-Seq, and Spatial Transcriptomics, prediction matrices, cell lines and organoids) to conduct basic and applied research that has characterized the pig’s cellular response to viral pathogens. Dr. Miller’s host-response studies resulted in the creation of the most extensive immunoinformatic dataset to date on host gene expression in response to porcine respiratory viral infection. Dr. Miller’s goals are to develop new, or modify established, techniques to characterize the host response at the molecular and cellular levels; to analyze the massive datasets generated by high-throughput genomic experiments to advance the understanding of disease expression and to apply this knowledge towards high-impact vaccine and therapeutic products.

Visualizing Transcriptomic Biomarkers: Data-Driven Insights for Animal and Human Health Solutions

Understanding the complex interactions between hosts and pathogens is essential for developing effective strategies against infectious diseases. Omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, provide a powerful framework for investigating the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. Specifically, transcriptomics, utilizing bulk, spatial, and single-cell approaches, coupled with advanced visualization tools, enables a comprehensive analysis of gene expression patterns during viral infection. This methodology facilitates the identification of key genetic and molecular factors influencing disease susceptibility, immune response, and overall animal performance. Our studies reveal critical insights into the host’s innate immune response, including the activation of key signaling pathways and the disruption of homeostasis, leading to the identification of potential determinants of disease outcome.