Mark R. Miller is a Professor of the Environment and Health (Research Scientist) working in the Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom)

Mark obtained his degree in Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh. He then pursued a PhD in the cardiovascular effects of novel nitric oxide donor drugs at the same Institute, continuing his interest in this topic in postdoctoral positions at the University of Strathclyde.

Over the last 20 years, Mark’s research has addressed the health effects of air pollution. A notable focus has been the biological pathways by which the particles in vehicle exhaust cause adverse effects in the cardiovascular system. He also has an interest in the potential for manufactured nanoparticles to cause harm to the cardiovascular system. His work encompasses a broad range of approaches, specialising in in vivo models of disease and controlled exposure to pollutants in human subjects.

Mark has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to the acquisition of £~25 million GBP in research funding. He has given over 80 invited presentations across the scientific community, the third sector and public engagement.

Mark is an Editor of the journal Particle & Fibre Toxicology. He is the UK Member of the European Society of Cardiology Taskforce on the Environment and Sustainability. He has previously been a Member of the Environmental Protection Scotland Air Quality Expert Advisory Group, an adviser to the UK Clean Air Champions Knowledge Exchange Group, and is the the outgoing Chair of the World Heart Federation Air Pollution Expert Group.

Mark sits on the Scottish Government Air Quality Advisory Group and is an Expert Member of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP), which advises the UK governmental Department of Health on this subject.

Mark’s research findings have received extensive coverage in the national and international media, and featured in documentaries on UK television. His work contributed to the Department of Cardiology’s Queens Anniversary Award 2014-16 for outstanding contribution to scientific research. His work was highlighted as a case study in the DEFRA (UK Government) Clean Air Strategy 2019. He has recently been acknowledged for his contributions to the 2021 World Health Organisation Global Air Quality Guidelines and the Chief Medical Officer for England’s Annual Report: Air Pollution (2022).

Air pollution imposes a huge burden on health and is associated with over 8 million premature deaths globally every year. While air pollution damages the lung, over half of the deaths attributed to air pollution are from cardiovascular causes. Research in our centre has demonstrated that acute exposure to diesel exhaust causes many detrimental actions on the cardiovascular system in human volunteer studies. Parallel preclinical studies went on to show that the specifically the particles in diesel exhaust impair vascular function and that prolonged in vivo exposure to these particles promoted the development of the vascular disease atherosclerosis.

In 2017, in our “gold study”, we demonstrated that the small size of nanoparticles allows them to pass from the lung into the blood. Furthermore, the particles preferentially built up at areas of vascular disease, where they are likely to exacerbate disease and potentially trigger a cardiovascular event. This mechanism could also account for the growing list of epidemiological associations between air pollution and conditions of almost every organ of the body.

Recently (2024) Mark led the first human controlled inhalation exposure to a 2D nanomaterial (the "miracle material" graphene), demonstrating only modest effects of pure forms of graphene oxide. These results offer reassurance that this material may be able to be developed safely for various applications, although highlights that the cardiovacular actions of nanomaterial need to be considered carefully for nano-sized particles.

In 2024, Mark also led the release of the World Heart Federation flagship document, The World Heart Report, on the cardiovascular effects of air pollution, as well as seminal reviews on environmental risk factors and cardiovascular health published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Previous projects have also investigated:

• The use of acellular methods to measure free radical generation from various particulates, including superoxide free radicals which can scavenge nitric oxide from endothelial cells (BHF-funded research)

• The role of chemicals on the surface of diesel exhaust particles in driving their cardiovascular effects (BHF programme grant)

• The use of in vivo models to demonstrate that diesel exhaust particles promote thrombosis and worsen the effects of cardiac ischaemia (BHF programme grant)

• Controlled human exposure studies to woodsmoke and biodiesel (BHF programme grant)

• The physicochemical properties of nanoparticles that determines translocation to into the blood (Colt Foundation-funded research)

• The effectiveness of facemasks in preventing alterations in cardiovascular parameters following exposure to air pollution in Beijing (Langrish et al. 2012, “APIC-ESTEE”, NERC/MRC)

• “NanoMILE” explored whether the redox properties of metal-doped cerium nanoparticles determined their ability to cause atherosclerosis and whether cross-linking of the dextran surface of SPIONs stimulated thrombosis in human blood (European Commission FP7). 

• An literature review of the health effects of particulates derived from agricultural emissions (“AMPHoRA”, NIHR)

• The use of low-cost particle sensors to study the respiratory effects of air pollution in asthmatic adolescents and pregnant mothers in India (“DAPHNE”, NERC/MRC)

• A consortium network to assess potential solutions to indoor air pollution (“HEICCAM”, UKRI/NERC SPF)

• The ability of diesel exhaust particles to promote kidney injury (BHF-funded research)

Current (2025) projects include:

• The effect of exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution in pregnancy (“RESPIRE”, UKRI/NERC SPF)

• A UK Hub investigating the potential risks of indoor air pollution and whether net-zero measures on homes influences these effets (UKRI)

• Co-supervision of PhD projects looking at the role of epigenetics in the actions of air pollution.

Currently and future areas of interest include:

• The ability of nano-sized particles to reach and effect the function of different organ systems

• Whether non-exhaust particles from vehicles (e.g. brake and tyre wear) can affect health

• Whether inhaled nano-plastic particle can affect cardiorespiratory health

• The role of the vascular system in the actions of air pollution in the brain

My research investigates the adverse health effects of air pollution. I have a particular interest in the biological mechanisms by which the nano-sized particles in vehicle exhaust, such as that from diesel vehicles, interfere with the function of the cardiovascular system (the heart, blood vessels and blood). I also have an interest in the potential of manufactured nanomaterials to affect the cardiovascular system. Our research encompasses a broad range of techniques, and specialises in in vivo models and human controlled exposure studies.