Prof Aletta Millen

Aletta Millen is a cardiovascular and neuroinflammation researcher whose work centers on the systemic consequences of chronic inflammation. Using well-established rodent models, her research explores how inflammatory pathways driven by cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 contribute to cardiac remodeling, ventricular dysfunction, and heart failure phenotypes. Her studies integrate molecular biology, echocardiography, and mass spectrometry imaging to elucidate mechanisms linking immune activation to structural and functional cardiac changes.

A major focus of her scholarship is the role of inflammasome activation, cytokine blockade, and microRNA regulation in inflammation-induced cardiac injury. Her work has clarified how TNF-α mediates early systolic dysfunction and myosin isoform shifts, while IL-6 signaling shows complex, context-dependent effects on lipid metabolism, fibrosis, and ventricular performance. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of biologic therapies in autoimmune and hypertensive disease models.

Millen has also advanced research on neuroinflammation and mood disorders, examining HPA axis dysregulation, monoamine alterations, and neurotrophic signaling in inflammatory states. Her contributions extend to translational perspectives on depression treatment in African contexts, including the therapeutic promise of ketamine. Collectively, her work bridges cardiovascular pharmacology, immunology, and neurobiology, highlighting the systemic impact of inflammation on heart and brain health.