Malaria Cell Biology Section
Louis Miller, M.D.
Chief, Malaria Cell Biology Section
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Mechanism by which malaria parasites invade erythrocytes (including the study of parasite ligands and erythrocyte receptors)
- Mechanism of antigenic variation
- Study of binding of parasitized erythrocytes in placenta
Program Description
The study of the pathogenesis of malaria includes research on the mechanism by which malaria parasites invade erythrocytes, including the study of parasite ligands and erythrocyte receptors; the mechanism of antigenic variation; the molecular basis for cerebral malaria and rosetting; and the binding of var gene products to endothelium.
Major accomplishments include the following: Duffy blood group antigen is receptor for Plasmodium vivax; Duffy blood group antigen is the chemokine receptor; the molecular definition of the ligand and receptor for P. vivax; the molecular definition of the ligand and receptor for Plasmodium falciparum; the molecular basis of antigenic variation and the identification of the ligand for binding chondroitin sulfate A in placenta.
Future directions include the study of the different pathways for invasion of erythrocytes, including the sialic acid-independent pathway; virulence factors in P. falciparum; identifying recombinant proteins for vaccines that will block invasion and block cytoadherence to placenta; and molecular mechanism of antigenic variation.
Biography
Education
B.S., Haverford College, Haverford, PA
M.S., Columbia University, New York, NY
M.D., Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Miller received his B.S. from Haverford College in Pennsylvania; his M.S. from Columbia University; and his M.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. He then served as a medical resident at Montifiore Hospital, New York, and as an intern and resident at Mount Sinai Hospital. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians, American Society of Clinical Investigation, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, National Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. In 2011, he received the Walter Reed Medal for distinguished accomplishment in the field of tropical medicine from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Selected Publications
Arredondo SA, Cai M, Takayama Y, MacDonald NJ, Anderson DE, Aravind L, Clore GM, Miller LH. Structure of the Plasmodium 6-cysteine s48/45 domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Apr 24;109(17):6692-7.
Srinivasan P, Beatty WL, Diouf A, Herrera R, Ambroggio X, Moch JK, Tyler JS, Narum DL, Pierce SK, Boothroyd JC, Haynes JD, Miller LH. Binding of Plasmodium merozoite proteins RON2 and AMA1 triggers commitment to invasion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Aug 9;108(32):13275-80.
Jiang L, Gaur D, Mu J, Zhou H, Long CA, Miller LH. Evidence for erythrocyte-binding antigen 175 as a component of a ligand-blocking blood-stage malaria vaccine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 3;108(18):7553-8.
Crompton PD, Pierce SK, Miller LH. Advances and challenges in malaria vaccine development. J Clin Invest. 2010 Dec;120(12):4168-78.
Miller LH. The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria: looking back and looking ahead. Trends Parasitol. 2010 Mar;26(3):110-3.
Jiang L, López-Barragán MJ, Jiang H, Mu J, Gaur D, Zhao K, Felsenfeld G, Miller LH. Epigenetic control of the variable expression of a Plasmodium falciparum receptor protein for erythrocyte invasion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Feb 2;107(5):2224-9.
Research Group
Ipsita Pal-Bhowmick, Prakash Srinivasan, Lubin Jiang, Deepak Gaur, Silvia Arredondo
Patents
Sim KL, Chitnis C, Miller LH, Peterson DS, Su XZ, Wellems TE, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Binding domains from Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparumerythrocyte binding proteins. United States patent US 6,962,987. 8 Nov 2005.
Scherf A, Miller LH, Gamain B, Baruch DI, Buffet P, Scheidig C, Gysin J, Pouvelle B, Fujii N, Smith J, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Identification of the domain ofPlasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) that mediates adhesion to chondroitin sulfate A. United States patent US 6,855,323. 15 Feb 2005.
Miller LH, Adams JH, Kaslow DC, Fang X, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Health, assignee. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi Duffy receptor. United States patent US 5,541,292. 30 Jul 1996.
Miller LH, Adams JH, Kaslow DC, Fang X, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health, assignee. DNA encoding Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi Duffy receptor. United States patent US 5,198,347. 30 Mar 1993.
Good MF, Kumar S, Berzofsky JA, Miller LH, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health, assignee. Synthetic vaccine against P. falciparum malaria. United States patent US 5,028,425. 2 Jul 1991.
Good MA, Berzofsky J, Miller LH, inventors; The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health, assignee. Malarial immunogen. United States patent US 4,886,782. 12 Dec 1989.
Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a complete patent listing.