Dr Stuart Mills

Dr Stuart Mills is a Research Associate within the Regenerative Medicine Laboratories of the Future Industries Institute. The main focus of his research is wound healing and regeneration in the skin. He is currently working on a Cell Therapies Manufacturing CRC (CTM CRC) project looking at the preclinical assessment of MAPC polymer patches for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and is also currently supervising three HDR students.

He was trained in the UK where he received his PhD from the University of Manchester. His PhD investigated the effects of photodynamic therapy on the wound healing process in collaboration with the dermatology company Galderma. Upon completing his PhD he relocated to Australia and worked as a Research Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Melbourne). In Assoc. Professor Kaur’s Epithelial Stem Cell Laboratory he investigated the effects of pericytes (stem cells) on the wound healing process, their involvement in cancer progression and their use as a diagnostic tool in ovarian cancer. From there he joined Professor Cowin’s laboratory at the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute (Adelaide) and looked at the effects of Flightless I protein and it role in inflammation and TLR function. When the Cowin Lab relocated to UniSA he commenced his current work with the CTM CRC. He is a member of; the Australian Society for Dermatology Research (ASDR), the Australian Wound and Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS), the British Society of Cell Biology and the European Tissue Repair Society (ETRS).

His industry engagement began early in his career, during his PhD, which involved collaboration with the dermatology company, Galderma (France). His industry involvement continues in his current research project, with the Cell Therapies Manufacturing CRC, which includes collaborations with Athersys (USA), Regenesys (Belgium) and the University of Sydney (Australia). His work at the University of Manchester and his current project have resulted in three patents.  Since joining UniSA he was awarded a UniSA DRPF Early Careers Grant of $4000 and has secured over $5000 in travel and research awards.

He is an ECR with over 800 citations in peer-reviewed journals who recently won the Coloplast Biatain® Literary Award for the best literature review in the journal of Wound Practice and Research. He regularly communicates his research at national and international conferences and was awarded the Best Young Investigator Talk Award at the Australian Society for Dermatology Research Conference.

Australian Wounds and Tissue Repair Society

Australian Society for Dermatology Research

British Society for Cell Biology

European Tissue Repair Society

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy University of Manchester