Miller Lab
In recent years, next-generation sequencing has greatly increased our knowledge of genomic and transcriptomic alterations likely associated with many diseases. The Miller Lab’s primary research efforts focus on the characterization of immune cell infiltration in pediatric brain tumor samples using state-of-the-art technologies including transcriptome sequencing, single cell RNA-sequencing and spatial gene expression profiling. In these efforts, its team seeks to parallel studies in adult cancers in an effort to explore the similarities and differences in the pediatric brain tumor setting. In addition, the lab’s research will be particularly important for comparing primary to recurrent tumors, detecting progression-related events, and identifying patients who are likely to respond to emergent immunotherapy modalities such as oncolytic viruses or personalized vaccines.
Dr. Miller is also director of the Genomic Services Laboratory, a core resource for investigators at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Through these efforts, she has several collaborations across Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University in neuro-oncology, epilepsy, infectious disease, and immunology with a primary focus on single cell RNA-sequencing.
Lab Staff
Katherine E. Miller, PhD
Principal Investigator
Katherine.Miller@NationwideChildrens.org
Katherine (Katie) Miller, PhD, is a principal investigator in the Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a research assistant professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Katie leads a research laboratory with a focus on studying cancer genomics and the tumor immune microenvironment in pediatric central nervous system tumors. She also helps direct single cell operations within IGM.
Corinne Strawser, PhD
Bioinformatics Scientist
Corinne.Haines@NationwideChildrens.org
Corinne Strawser is a bioinformatics scientist whose research focuses on development and application of analytical pipelines for single-cell genomic and spatial transcriptomic studies of pediatric cancer and epilepsy. She is particularly interested in the tumor microenvironment and using genomic technologies to better understand cell-cell interactions. Corinne received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Denison University and her doctorate degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from The Ohio State University. She did her postdoctoral training at Duke University where she developed her interest in single-cell genomics with a focus on the breast tumor microenvironment.
Elizabeth Garfinkle, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist
Elizabeth.Garfinkle@NationwideChildrens.org
Elizabeth Garfinkle is a postdoctoral scientist whose research focuses on the immunogenomics of leukemia and central nervous system tumors. Elizabeth earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from California State University, Long Beach and a doctorate degree in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She completed her dissertation on the molecular characterization of pediatric acute megakaryoblastic leukemia at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Stanford University.
Adithe Rivaldi
Research Associate
Adithe.Rivaldi@NationwideChildrens.org
Adithe is a research associate in the Miller Lab. He works on collaborative projects utilizing Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing and spatial transcriptomic technologies to understand various diseases. His recent research has also involved validation of low-level somatic mutations using deep-targeted sequencing, detection of mosaic chromosomal copy number gains in patients with epilepsy and aiding the optimization of personalized sequencing assays to detect minimal residual disease in CNS tumors. Adithe obtained his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, where he studied Neuroscience and researched neural stem and progenitor cells. He is planning on attending graduate school in the future.
Lakshmi Prakruthi Rao Venkata
Genetic Technologist II
Lakshmi.Venkata@NationwideChildrens.org
Lakshmi Prakruthi Rao Venkata is a genetic technologist whose research focuses on gene expression studies in pediatric brain tumors. She has been instrumental in the clinical validation for pediatric brain tumor methylation profiling.
Lakshmi completed her master’s degree in Immunology at the University of Cincinnati in 2018 and is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology as a technologist in molecular biology.
Bilaal Said
Research Intern
Bilaal.Said@NationwideChildrens.org
Bilaal Said is an accomplished research intern and a dedicated medical laboratory assistant at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He specializes in conducting cutting-edge research in next-generation sequencing and has a keen interest in identifying cancer-predisposing germline mutations in humans. Bilaal's goal is to become a compassionate physician, and he has set his sights on attending medical school to achieve this dream. Currently enrolled at Miami University, Bilaal is actively pursuing an undergraduate degree in Microbiology with a minor in Nutrition, showcasing his commitment to understanding the intricacies of the human body and its health. His academic pursuits are a testament to his dedication and passion for contributing to the field of medicine.
Tithi Shah
Research Assistant
Tithi.Shah@NationwideChildrens.org
Tithi Shah is a research assistant in the Miller Lab. Her research characterizers disease tissue from pediatric patients with epilepsy using high-depth targeted DNA sequencing to validate novel epilepsy-associated genes. Additionally, she works to support the Technology Development team in the build-out of a personalized sequencing assay to detect minimal residual disease in patients with central nervous system tumors. Tithi obtained her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University. She majored in Biology with a minor in Medical Laboratory Sciences and Psychology. During her undergrad, she served as a research volunteer in a cardiovascular diseases' lab where she focused on developing her independent research project. In April 2023, she successfully defended her research thesis on "RNA Interference and Biophysical Modulation Are Two Independent Mechanisms of The MicroRNA" and graduated with a research distinction.