Evanna Mills, Ph.D.

Research

My lab explores processes controlling the function of a crucial type of immune cell called a macrophage. Macrophages have several essential homeostatic functions, but these functions are undermined during infection and diseases, including diabetes and cancer. As such, macrophages play a part in the damaging inflammation that is characteristic of these conditions. The overarching goal of my lab is to find new ways to reduce harmful inflammation driven by macrophages, and we will explore an entirely new way to tackle this problem. We aim to understand why macrophages shift from performing their crucial protective and supportive roles to becoming harmful.

Before establishing my lab, I identified that specific molecules, called metabolites, can affect inflammation in macrophages. Certain metabolites promote inflammation while others limit it, but both can operate by chemically modifying key amino acids on proteins in macrophages. Now, using advanced techniques in immunology, molecular genetics, and proteomics, I will identify the proteins that are modified by these pro- and anti-inflammatory metabolites in macrophages and determine how these modifications alter macrophage function. My work will identify completely new ways to control the function of macrophages and set the stage for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat metabolic disease, chronic inflammation, and cancer.