Richard Milner
- Current job title: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine
- Current location: The Scripps Research Institute, California, USA
- Field of research: To understand how extracellular matrix proteins regulate blood vessel growth and stability in the central nervous system
- Education history: MD, Medicine and Surgery, University of Cambridge, (1998); PhD, Developmental Neurobiology, University of Cambridge, (1994); BSc, Physiology, University of Leeds, (1990)
- Wellcome Trust awards: Research Career Development Fellowship (University of Cambridge, 2004), Wellcome Trust International Travelling Fellowship (2000)
- Other awards: Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (2006)
Tell us about your background.
I came to research via a very unusual route. When I was 18 I joined the Royal Air Force, where I worked as an electronics technician, fixing the navigation equipment of Harrier jets. I was very much into sport - tennis and running especially - and I used to read lots of physiology and training books. I got very interested in the way the body works and in human performance.
Why did you choose your career?
At 18 I was a bit clueless and really wasn't very motivated. I always wanted to be a jet pilot, so I joined the Air Force - I didn't go in as a pilot but as a technician. This was just a job to me, never a passion. After five years, I left the military, went back to college to study for my A levels and then got accepted by Leeds University Medical School. After completing my preclinical studies, I won a scholarship and joined the third year of the undergraduate physiology programme. This was my first experience working on my own hands-on science project - and I came alive. It was at this point I decided I wanted to continue scientific research and study for a PhD, and I joined Charles ffrench-Constant's lab in the Wellcome-CRC (now the Gurdon Institute) in September 1991.
How would you describe your job?
A typical day? Well, I come to the lab about 08.00 and first make a clear plan for the day. I try to break my day up into chunks - I'm not comfortable sitting behind a desk for eight hours straight. I always try to do some lab work, passaging cells or spending time on the fluorescent microscope with my postdocs and students. Doing lab work is what keeps me focused and interested. I like the cerebral aspect of science, but I'm still very much interested in the actual hands-on aspect of it.
In lay terms, what's your science about?
In my lab, we're interested in finding out how we can promote the growth of blood vessels (angiogenesis) in the brain. After stroke, for instance, lots of destruction occurs in the brain and lots of repair needs to take place. In response to the injury, glial cells - specialised cells that help support neurons - become activated and try to isolate and repair the damaged tissue. New blood vessels grow in an attempt to provide a new blood supply to these areas, to encourage regeneration, but this is not always entirely successful.
In simple terms, we're trying to understand what causes new blood vessels to form, then trying to amplify it. If we can encourage more blood vessel growth and a higher blood flow, it should help promote more regeneration and provide a positive benefit for patients who have had ischaemic stroke. My long-term goal is to do the exact opposite of what most cancer researchers want - they are trying to starve a tumour by preventing new blood vessel growth. We look at similar molecules and mechanisms but have the opposite goal in mind, namely to promote blood vessel growth.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are trying to understand how hypoxia (low oxygen) stimulates blood vessel growth. We place mice in a low-oxygen environment - 8 per cent, rather than the usual 21 per cent. This causes a big increase in vessel production in the brain. We've shown that this is associated with increased vascular expression of the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. This protein is expressed at a high level in the developing brain and expressed at low levels in the adult brain. By knocking out fibronectin receptors in vascular cells, we have shown that fibronectin drives blood vessel growth in the hypoxic brain.
What's the ultimate aim of your work?
The ultimate goal of our research is to bring about a regulated and controlled new growth of functional blood vessels in the brain. This will encourage regeneration and promote recovery in patients post-stroke or post brain injury. By understanding more about the molecular mechanisms, we will be closer to achieving this goal. By using this knowledge, we're hoping to upregulate or 'turn up the volume' of blood vessel development.
What are the difficulties and challenges of being a scientist, and how do you overcome them?
It's tough; the science world is condensing - in the present economic climate, funding is very tight. A lot of people are spending a lot of time writing grant applications and getting lots of rejections. This sounds a little bleak, I know, but there's a dark cloud hanging over many people right now. This is a real shame as it distracts from the overall optimism of science. In science, to be successful, you have to be able to take the knocks and rejections, get up the next day and be ready to go all over again - you need to be an eternal optimist.
How has the Wellcome Trust award influenced your career decisions?
The Wellcome Trust has always been very supportive of me, from my studentship to my postdoctoral fellowship and the international travelling fellowship that brought me to the Scripps Institute in the first place, and of course my Research Career Development Fellowship. This support has influenced me by making me feel that I'm on the right road, and that the science I'm doing is valid and will be clinically relevant.
What is the best part about doing science?
The best thing for me is that I have intellectual and creative freedom. Science allows you to feel like you're going somewhere that no one's gone before - to be a pioneer.
During my training, I never really envisaged myself having a career as a medical doctor, but this time inspired me and introduced me to lots of diseases and medical conditions. I really only get excited about projects I think will lead to some therapeutic benefit - our work on blood vessels could help treat stroke but could equally find something useful for blocking blood flow to tumours.
Who is your biggest role model?
My mentor at Cambridge: Charles ffrench-Constant. He was always such an enthusiastic, energised person, and his enthusiasm for science rubbed off on those around him. So, I definitely consider myself lucky to have worked with such an influential figure at such an early and formative stage of my scientific career. I also held the Director of the Wellcome/CRC Institute, Sir John Gurdon, in high esteem. His mantra was: identify an interesting biological question, then devise simple straightforward experiments to answer this question.
Who is your favourite living scientist?
I'll be honest, I don't always find terribly productive to compare my achievements to those of other people. But, having said that, I am a big fan of Sydney Brenner because of the fundamental work he's done on Caenorhabditis elegans - he's a truly inspiring person and scientist.
Who is your favourite scientist in popular culture?
Hmm…When I was a kid, I was a fan of Magnus Pyke [a TV science presenter from the 1970s/80s show 'The Great Egg Race'].
What music do you listen to at work?
We don't have music on in the lab, but my music tastes are quite diverse. I like reggae and also bands like REM, Depeche Mode and The Cure. To be honest, I listen to a lot of my teenage kids' music, but I've really no idea who the bands are.
What are your hobbies?
I've got four children (two teenagers and two little guys), so I spend lots of time with my family. Other than that, I like to run - I still do it competitively and still get placed in the top three in my age group in races ranging from 5K to the half marathon here in Southern California. I also coach my ten-year-old daughter's soccer team.
I've been an ardent Leeds United fan since 1970 - my family are from the area - and I visit the LUFC website several times a week. Whenever I'm back in the UK, I always try to watch them play. It doesn't always cheer me up, but there you have the psyche of the ardent football fan.
If you weren’t a scientist, you would be…
Hmm, this one's difficult for me. In my time I've wanted to be a soccer player, a jet pilot…A few years ago I was on the road to becoming a medical doctor. At heart, I'd like to have been involved with professional sport, be it soccer or athletics. I just love sports of all types - since living in San Diego, I've become a fan of American football.