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Luis Milla Brito

Principal Investigator

Deputy Director of Research, School of Medical Sciences

Associate Professor, School of Medicine

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, University of Chile

Molecular Biotechnology Engineer, University of Chile

luis.milla@usach.cl

https://lmillab.github.io/lab/

 

 

Lines of Research: 

Our laboratory is interested in studying the molecular basis of several genetic diseases, generating changes in cellular decisions and ultimately phenotypes or clinical manifestations. Many of these pathologies can be studied using animal models that encompass some part of their manifestations directly or indirectly. Among the diseases we study are those of lysosomal storage, such as Niemann-Pick type C disease. This condition shows marked neurodegeneration and affects other organs in very young patients. Another group of pathologies we study is cancer and its diversity in terms of cell types and embryological origins.

Our focus is trying to understand signalling, through genes, proteins and small molecules, to alleviate manifestations of these diseases.

Research Projects: 
  • 2015-2017 Dirección de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica Usach (DICYT) 021501MB.
  • 2010-2011 Fondecyt Postdoctoral 3100045.

 

Publications: 

  • Cajas D., Guajardo E., Jara-Rosales S., Nuñez C., Vargas R., Carriel V., Campos A., Milla L.A., Orihuela P.A., Godoy-Guzmán C. Molecules involved in the sperm-human uterine tube interaction: a histochemical and immunohistochemical approach. European Journal of Histochemistry. (2023) Accepted

  • Barrera-Avalos C., Briceño P., Valdés D., Imarai M., Leiva-Salcedo E., Rojo L.E., Milla L.A., Huidobro-Toro J.P., Robles-Planells C., Escobar A., Di Virgilio F., Morón G., Sauma D., Acuña-Castillo C. P2X7 receptor is essential for crossdressing of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. iScience (2021). Dec 17; 24(12): 103520

  • Del Campo A., Salamanca C., Fajardo A., Díaz-Castro F., Bustos C., Calfío C., Troncoso R., Pastene-Navarrete E.R., Acuña-Castillo C., Milla L.A., Villarroel C.A, Cubillos F., Aranda M, Rojo L.E. Anthocyanins from Aristotelia chilensis prevent Olanzapine-induced hepatic-lipid accumulation but not insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells. Molecules (2021). Oct 12;26(20):6149

  • Barrera-Avalos C, Díaz X, Madrid B, Michelson SA, Robles-Planells C, Sánchez- Guerrero G., Ahumada V., Mella-Torres A., Rojo L.E., Imarai M., Milla L.A., Leiva-Salcedo E., Murgas P., Fernández R., Escobar A., Acuña-Castillo C. In vivo Antitumor Effect against Murine Cells of CT26 Colon Cancer and EL4 Lymphoma by Autologous Whole Tumor Dead Cells. BioMed Research International (2021) Feb 3;2021:1–16.

  • Barrera-Avalos C., Mena J., López X, Cappelli C., Neira T., Imarai M., Fernández R., Robles-Planells C., Rojo L.E., Milla L.A., Leiva-Salcedo E., Escobar A., Acuña-Castillo C. Adenosine triphosphate, Polymyxin B and B16 cells-derived immunization induce anticancer response. Immunotherapy Jan 5 (2021).

  • Robles-Planells C., Barrera-Avalos C., Rojo L.E., Spencer E., Cortez-SanMartin M., Matiacevich S., Pávez J., Milla L.A., Navarro F.D., Martinez B.A., Bravo F.J., Mella A., Huidobro-Toro J.P., Fernández R., Escobar A., Acuña-Castillo C. Chitosan-based delivery of Avian Reovirus fusogenic protein p-10 Gene: in vitro and in vivo studies towards a new vaccine against melanoma. BioMed Research International 1-11 (2020).

  • Robles-Planells C., Sánchez G., Barrera-Avalos C., Matiacevich S., Rojo L.E., Pávez J., Salas-Huenuleo E., Kogan M.J., Escobar A., Milla L.A., Fernández R., Imarai M., Spencer E., Huidobro-Toro J.P., Acuña-Castillo C. Chitosanbased nanoparticles for intracellular delivery of ISAV fusion protein cDNA into melanoma cells: A path to develop oncolytic anticancer therapies. Mediators of Inflamation (2020) Apr 29: 8680692.

  • Burgos H., Hernández A., Constandil L., Ríos M., Flores O., Puentes G., Hernández K., Morgan C., Valladares L., Castillo A., Cofre C., Milla L.A., Sáez-Briones P., Barra R. Early postnatal environmental enrichment restores neurochemical and functional plasticities of the cerebral cortex and improves learning performance in hidden-prenatally-malnourished young-adult rats. Behav Brain Res (2019) May 2;363:182-190.

  • Villanueva A., Falcón P., Espinoza N., Solano L.R., Milla L.A., Hernández- SanMiguel E., Torres V, Sánchez-Gómez P, Palma V. The Netrin-4/Neogenin-1 axis promotes neuroblastoma cell survival and migration. Oncotarget (2017) Feb 7;8(6):9767-9782

  • Cao J., Ni J., Ma W., Shiu V., Milla L.A., Park S., Spletter M.L., Tang S., Zhang J., Wei Z., Kim S.K., and Scott M.P. Insight into insulin secretion from transcriptome and genetic analysis of insulin-producing cells of Drosophila. Genetics (2014) May;197(1):175-92.

  • Milla L.A., Arros A., Espinoza N., Remke M., Kool M., Taylor M.D., Pfister S.M., Wainwright B.J., Palma V. Neogenin1 is a Sonic Hedgehog target in medulloblastoma and is necessary for cell cycle progression. International Journal of Cancer (2014) Jan 1;134(1):21-31

  • Milla L.A., González-Ramírez C.N., Palma V. Sonic Hedgehog in cancer stem cells: a novel link with autophagy. Biological Research (2012);45(3):223-30.

  • Milla L.A., Cortés C.R., Hödar H.Q., Oñate M., Cambiazo V., Burgess S.M., and Palma V. Yeast-based assay identifies novel Shh/Gli target genes in vertebrate development. BMC Genomics (2012),13:2.

  • Feijoo C.G., Oñate M., Milla L.A., and Palma V. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)-Gli signaling controls neural progenitor cell division in the developing tectum in zebrafish. European Journal of Neuroscience (2011) Feb;33(4):589-98

  • Cortés C.R., Milla L.A. and Palma V. Sonic hedgehog (SHH) regulates c-myc expression in the developing brain: Direct or indirect link? Developmental Biology (2009) Jul: 331(2):439

  • Bergeron S., Milla L.A., Villegas R., Shena M., Burgess S.M., Allende M.L., Karlstrom R.O., and Palma V. Expression profiling identifies novel Hh/Gli regulated genes in developing zebrafish embryos. Genomics (2008) Feb;91(2):165-177

  • Tittarelli, A., Milla L., Vargas, F., Morales, A., Neupert, C., Meisel, L., Salvo, H., Peñaloza, E., Muñoz, G., Corcuera, L. J. and Silva, H. Isolation and comparative analysis of the wheat TaPT2 promoter: identification in silico of new putative regulatory motifs conserved between monocots. Journal of Experimental Botany (2007) Aug;58(10): 2573-2582

  • Villanueva A., Solano L.R., Espinoza N., Milla L.A., Palma V. Neogenin-1 promotes cell migration, survival, and metastasis through Netrin-4 in neuroblastoma. Oncotarget. (2016) Submitted.

  • Cao J., Ni J., Ma W., Shiu V., Milla L.A., Park S., Spletter M.L., Tang S., Zhang J., Wei Z., Kim S.K., and Scott M.P. Insight into insulin secretion from transcriptome and genetic analysis of insulin-producing cells of Drosophila. Genetics. (2014) May;197(1):175-92.

  • Milla L.A., Arros A., Espinoza N., Remke M., Kool M., Taylor M.D., Pfister S.M., Wainwright B.J., Palma V. Neogenin1 is a Sonic Hedgehog target in medul- loblastoma and is necessary for cell cycle progression. International Journal of Cancer. (2014) Jan 1;134(1):21-31

  • Milla L.A., González-Ramírez C.N., Palma V. Sonic Hedgehog in cancer stem cells: a novel link with autophagy. Biological Research (2012);45(3):223-30.

  • Milla L.A., Cortés C.R., Hodar H.Q., Oñate M., Cambiazo V., Burgess S.M., and Palma V. Yeast-based assay identifies novel Shh/Gli target genes in verte- brate development. BMC Genomics, (2012),13:2.

  • Feijoo C.G., Oñate M., Milla L.A., and Palma V. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)-Gli signaling controls neural progenitor cell division in the developing tectum in zebrafish. European Journal of Neuroscience. (2011) Feb;33(4):589-98

  • Bergeron S., Milla L.A.*, Villegas R., Shena M., Burgess S.M., Allende M.L., Karlstrom R.O., and Palma V. Expression profiling identifies novel Hh/Gli regu- lated genes in developing zebrafish embryos. Genomics (2008) Feb;91(2):165-177

  • Tittarelli, A., Milla L*, Vargas, F., Morales, A., Neupert, C., Meisel, L., Salvo, H., Peñaloza, E., Muñoz, G., Corcuera, L. J. and Silva, H. Isolation and com- parative analysis of the wheat TaPT2 promoter: identification in silico of new putative regulatory motifs conserved between monocots and dicots. Journal of Experimental Botany. (2007) Aug;58(10): 2573-2582