Dr. Alea Mills

I received my Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University, and later my Ph.D. from University of California Irvine School of Medicine, where I worked on the childhood cancer Wilms’ tumor. I became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Associate at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. At Baylor, discovered the p63 gene, revealing p63’s essential role in the developing embryo; indeed, it was later shown that mutation of p63 causes seven different human syndromes where children are born with birth defects including cleft palate, missing hands and feet, and other deformities. In 2001, I was recruited to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where I reside as full Professor.

Major discoveries of my team at Cold Spring Harbor include:

  • Discovering a link between p63 and aging.

  • Determining that some p63 proteins cause cancer, whereas other p63 proteins prevent it.

  • Discovering CHD5, a tumor-preventing protein that when lost, leads to many kinds of human cancer.

  • Revealing genetic causes underlying autism and schizophrenia.

  • Discovering BRD8 as a cancer-causing gene that we can unlock to treat brain cancer.

My team is made up of highly talented and motivated scientists and clinicians from across the globe, and our research program has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, Simons Foundation, Northwell Health, and the Darlene Carbone Brain Tumor Foundation. I am recipient of the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Faculty Award, and serve as a member of multiple review panels for the National Cancer Institute. I have also served as Chair and member of scientific panels for the European Research Commission.

In my spare time I enjoy mountain climbing, orcharding, and keeping my bluebird trail.

  • Heng Liang

    GRADUATE STUDENT

    I am currently a PhD candidate in the Molecular and Cellular Graduate Program at Stony Brook University. I am excited to conduct my thesis research in Alea Mills’ lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where I am studying the role of p53-related chromatin remodelers in regulating Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing, as well as watching Broadway shows. Some of my favorites so far include Hamilton, Kinky Boots, and Hadestown.

  • Matt Fisher

    POSTDOC

    Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a deadly form of cancer that arises in the mouth, nose and throat. My work focuses on identifying novel signaling cascades that are essential for HNSCC survival that can be targeted therapeutically, with a particular focus on chromatin modifying proteins. I am especially interested in how this class of proteins regulates the transcription factor p63, a critical regulator of HNSCC progression.

  • Sherine Sun

    POSTDOC

    Cancer is a disease caused by improper translation of the information encoded by our genes into functions in the cells—a process called gene expression. Gene expression can go awry due to the changes in gene sequence itself—genetics or the machineries that turn on or off the genes—epigenetics. These epigenetic machineries are usually reversible, providing promising opportunities of developing therapeutic interventions to correct altered gene expression in cancer. I am passionate about elucidating cancer-specific epigenetic alterations that hold promise of developing therapeutics for cancer treatment. In my spare time, I like to go hiking and camping, and play at the beach or playgrounds with my family and kids.

  • Yon Chang

    LAB MANAGER

    I’m a research associate/lab manager in the Mills lab and I have been working with Alea since 2008. My area of research focuses on molecular biology and chromosome engineering in mouse embryonic stem cells. My work has led to multiple mouse models including Chd5 duplication and Brd8 null mice. In my free time, I enjoy running with my 2 German Shepherds and training for marathons.

  • Caizhi Wu

    RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

    I attended Shandong Medical University (now Shandong University School of Medicine) in China - where I received a Bachelor of Medicine [equal to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in US], and a Master of Pathology. I later moved to The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel to explore the anatomical morphology of neurons as a Visiting Scientist, and later on as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, working on neural circuits and glioblastoma. As a Research Associate in the Mills Lab, I am involved in several different projects from glioblastoma to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma to help in gaining a deeper understanding of the key underlying pathways that drive cancer development and survival and identifying potential therapeutic strategies.

  • Carlos Ballon

    RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

    My main duties involve working with mouse models, which we use for cancer research and other projects in our lab. When I was first hired, I mostly collected DNA samples from mice for genotyping. Over the next five years my skills expanded to animal imagery, colony management, and several different types of surgeries on mice. I work closely with other lab members as well, helping with animal related projects, and I am very proud of the career I built for myself here at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In the off hours I really enjoy building and painting miniature models.

  • Photo Credit: Northwell Studios

    John Boockvar, MD

    ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

    I am the Vice Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and an investigator at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, where I direct the Laboratory for Brain Tumor Biology and Therapy. I am also a professor of neurological surgery and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and was appointed as an adjunct professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. As the head of experimental therapeutics for Northwell Health, I help oversee the oncological research goals for Northwell as a whole. My laboratory interests have focused on adult human neural stem cell biology as it relates to brain tumor formation and resistance to therapy. My work with patients with glioblastoma is featured in the two Netflix documentary series Lenox Hill and Emergency NYC, which give viewers an intimate look at the lives of physicians, nurses, and EMTs as they navigate everyday challenges of working in healthcare.

    Photo Credit: Northwell Studios

  • Alexandra Boyle

    SCIENTIFIC ADMINISTRATOR

    I provide funding proposal, recruitment, and scheduling support to the Mills Lab. In my spare time, I like to crochet and write creatively: fiction, poetry, and everything in between. My poetry has been published in TSR: The Southampton Review.

Mills Lab Alumni

  • Seamus Balinth

    Former GRADUATE STUDENT, now POSTDOC at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, TN

    As a member of the Mills lab, I have studied mechanisms of p63 regulation in squamous cell carcinoma. In particular, my work has focused on role of various chromatin regulating proteins as drivers of p63 expression. This has been an extremely rewarding research project that has allowed me to develop a number of important laboratory tools and professional connections. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor activities like running and hiking.

  • Padmina Shrestha

    Former GRADUATE STUDENT, now POSTDOC at UCLA

    I am interested in exploring the chromatin dynamics and gene regulatory networks involved in cell fate commitment during development. Currently, my research project focuses on investigating the function of a chromatin remodeling protein Chd5 in neurogenesis. I work with a Chd5 deficient mouse model and utilize confocal and lightsheet microscopy techniques, as well as whole genome sequencing assays, to study developmental, epigenomic and transcriptomic defects caused by Chd5 deficiency. In my free time, I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books.