Dr Stuart Mills is a Senior Research Fellow within the Future Industries Institute at UniSA. The main area of his research is the development of stem cell therapies for hard-to-heal wounds, with a particular focus on diabetic related foot ulcers (DRFU). His work is heavily focused on industry engagement and has worked with numerous industry partners including, Athersys (USA), Regenesys (Belgium), Cynata (Australia), Carina Biotech (Australia), Tekcyte (Australia) and Tissue Repair (Australia).
His research career began at the University of Manchester (UK) where he undertook his PhD, investigating the use if photodynamic therapy to reduced scarring, in collaboration with Galderma (France). Since moving to... Read more
About me
Dr Stuart Mills is a Senior Research Fellow within the Future Industries Institute at UniSA. The main area of his research is the development of stem cell therapies for hard-to-heal wounds, with a particular focus on diabetic related foot ulcers (DRFU). His work is heavily focused on industry engagement and has worked with numerous industry partners including, Athersys (USA), Regenesys (Belgium), Cynata (Australia), Carina Biotech (Australia), Tekcyte (Australia) and Tissue Repair (Australia).
His research career began at the University of Manchester (UK) where he undertook his PhD, investigating the use if photodynamic therapy to reduced scarring, in collaboration with Galderma (France). Since moving to Australia, he had continued his wound healing and cancer research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute (Adelaide) before moving to UniSA.
He has worked on projects in the Cell Therapies Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (CTM-CRC) when he was able to help develop a stem cell therapeutic that accelerated healing in DRFUs. This work was developed in the lab, taken through preclinical work and has successfully been through phase I human clinical trials and has produced two patents. It has been taken on by the industry partner Cynata who are looking to progress through phase II clinical trials.
https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/cyp-006tk-demonstrates-safety-and-efficacy-in-dfu-clinical-trial
He has also worked with another industry partner from the CTM CRC, Carina Biotech when he carried out preclinical work in the development of a CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of colo-rectal cancer. This work has also progressed into phase I human clinical trials, which are currently underway.
https://www.carinabiotech.com/press-release-carina-biotech-doses-first-patient-in-phase-1-2a-clinical-trial/
He has also work on project in the ARC IDEAL Hub and his preclinical studies over the past two years, with industry partner Tissue Repair, have also led to an FDA application and the treatment is now undergoing a phase I clinical trial for the treatment of venous leg ulcers.
He has brought in grant funding from academia and has published his work (h-index 17) in high grade journals, which have been cited over 2500 times. Last year he won the Future Industries Institute EMCR award (2024) and has also won prizes for his writing and presentations. He is also on the committee of the Australian Wound and Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS).
About me
Australian Wounds and Tissue Repair Society - Committee Board Memeber
Australian Society for Dermatology Research
British Society for Cell Biology
European Tissue Repair Society
About me
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 14/02/2024 |
Treating Diabetes with Live Stem Cells, https://tekcyte.com/treating-diabetes-with-live-stem-cells/ |
| 02/04/2023 |
Carina Biotech Phase 1/2a clinical trials, https://www.carinabiotech.com/press-release-carina-biotech-to-present-details-of-planned-phase-1-2a-clinical-trial-at-2023-asco-annual-meeting/ |
| 18/01/2023 |
Cypatch, https://tekcyte.com/cypatch/ |
| 03/06/2021 |
Press Release Cynata signs Licence Agreement with TekCyte to advance Clinical Trial in Diabetic Foot Ulcers, https://firstwordpharma.com/story/5318045 |
About me
Doctor of Philosophy University of Manchester
Senior Research Fellow UniSA 2022-present
Research Fellow UniSA 2012-2022
Research Officer Women's and Children Health Research Institute 2012-2013
Research Officer Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre 2010-2013
Wound Healing
Inflammation
Biomaterials
Stem Cells
Diabetes
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Fucoidan in CAR-T Cell Manufacture, Marine Bioproducts CRC, 05/06/2023 - 05/12/2023
Development of a new pericyte therapy for the treatment of diabetic wounds, Diabetes Australia Research Trust (DART) - General Grant, 01/01/2018 - 31/12/2018
2025-present MRFF: Controlled release of secretome feom tailored hydrogels for wound healing therapy
2025-present EBRP: Effects of secretome treatment on Epidermosysis Bullosa
2022-2024 Tissue Repair Industry project: Effects of beta glucan on the wound healing process.
2023-2024 MB CRC: Assessment of Fucoidan on the transduction effciency during CAR T-cell manufacturing
2020-2023 CRC-P: Preclinical assessment of CAR T-cell Therapy for the treatment of colo-rectal cancer
2018-2020 CRC-P: Preclinical assessment of iPSC polymer patches for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers
Cell Therapies Manufacturing CRC pr.2-03: Preclinical assessment of MAPCs polymer patches for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers
NHMRC grant: The effects of Flightless I on TLR activation and wound healing
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2023 |
Open access
14
16
6
|
| 2023 |
Open access
4
4
8
|
| 2022 |
Open access
8
8
5
|
| 2021 |
Open access
17
|
| 2020 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2020 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
| 2023 |
Open access
14
16
6
|
| 2023 |
Open access
4
4
8
|
| 2022 |
Open access
8
8
5
|
| 2021 |
Open access
17
|
| 2021 |
Open access
5
5
4
|
| 2020 |
Open access
138
125
16
|
| 2020 |
Open access
58
53
4
|
| 2020 |
Open access
27
25
17
|
| 2020 |
Open access
2
2
|
| 2020 |
Open access
13
12
4
|
| 2017 |
13
13
5
|
| 2017 |
Open access
55
53
2
|
| 2016 |
Open access
27
25
1
|
| 2015 |
Open access
82
65
7
|
| 2015 |
Open access
8
9
|
| 2014 |
Open access
35
31
|
| 2013 |
|
| 2013 |
Open access
97
|
2025 (Tissue Repair): An in vitro assessment on the antibacterial properties of Glucoprime and its effect on monocyte-macrophages differentiation.
2024 (Tissue Repair): An in vivo comparison of Glucoprime and Strataderm effects on the rate of healing in a murine acute wound healing model.
2024 (Tissue Repair): An in vivo preclinical assessment of the wound healing process after multiple doses of 0.1% Glucoprime in a murine acute wound healing model.
2023 (Tissue Repair): An in vivo preclinical assessment of the wound healing process after a single dose of 0.1% Glucoprime in a murine acute wound healing model.
2023 (Tissue Repair): An investigation into the in vivo preclinical efficacy of Glucoprime response, at three doses, in an acute wound healing mouse model.
2022 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-11 In vivo biodistribution of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CNA3103 CAR-T cells in a human colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model
2022 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-10 In vivo biodistribution of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CNA3102 CAR-T cells in a human colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model
2022 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-09 In vivo safety study of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CNA3103 CAR-T cells
2022 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-08 In vivo safety study of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CNA3103 CAR-T cells
2021 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-07 In vivo preclinical efficacy of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CAR-T cells in a human colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model
2021 (Carina Biotech): CB-LGR5-06 In vivo preclinical efficacy of LGR5-targetting CD3+ CAR-T cells in a human colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model
2019 (Tekcyte and Cynata): CTM-CN / 19 / 001 Efficacy of multiple MSC sub populations on the healing response in acute and diabetic mice.
Research
Wound Healing
Inflammation
Biomaterials
Stem Cells
Diabetes
Research
| Details | Registry | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Methods and products for delivering cells Smith, Louise; Michelmore, Andrew Percival; Kirby, Giles Thomas Sipho; Cowin, Allison June; Mills, Stuart James; Short, Robert David |
WO | Filed |
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Athersys Inc | UNITED STATES |
| Athersys, Inc. | UNITED STATES |
| Australian National University | AUSTRALIA |
| Curtin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Hudson Institute of Medical Research | AUSTRALIA |
| Lancaster University | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre | AUSTRALIA |
| Queensland University of Technology | AUSTRALIA |
| ReGenesys | SOUTH AFRICA |
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Manchester | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Invited Speaker, Best Young InvestigatorAustralian Society for Dermatological Research |
2014 |
Coloplast Biatain Literary AwardAustralian Wound Management Association |
2013 |
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Defining the role of Granzyme K in skin inflammation and chronic itch | Current |
| Development of stem cell therapies for the treatment of wounds | Completed |
| Flightless I regulation of pericyte function in acute and diabetic wound healing | Completed |
| Microfluidic-assisted viral transduction for CAR T-cell manufacture | Completed |
| Unravelling biochemical effects of radiosensitizing gold nanoparticles on cancer cells at the cell population, single-cell, and molecular levels | Completed |
