Background

Qualifications

2014: Associate Fellow Higher Education Academy

2009: PhD 'Detection and alleviation of pain an distress in laboratory rodent' Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University

2006: Home Office Module 4

2006: BSc (hons) Pharmacology, Newcastle University

2005: Home Office Modules 1-3

2016- 2019:  COST Action 'Synergy for preventing damaging behaviour in group housed pigs and chickens' management committee member

2016- 2017: AFRD School Postgraduate Research Committee

2020 - present:  Associate Editor: BMC Veterinary Research

Teaching

PhD supervision - Ivone Camps Luna (2015-2019)

Undergraduate

PED3007 - Drug Discovery and Development

BIO2013 - Animal Behaviour (module leader)

BIO3073 - Current Zoology

Postgraduate

MMB8012 - Applying the 3Rs to in-vivo experimental techniques

ACE8102 - Experimental Design and statistics for animal based research

Continuing professional development courses

Home Office PPL training module – experimental design and statistics

Pain and distress in laboratory animals workshop – course tutor

Research

 My PhD was concerned with the detection and alleviation of pain and distress in laboratory rodents, predominately focussing on post-operative pain. I used manual and automated behavioural scoring methods alongside nociceptive and anxiety testing methods in order to gain knowledge of the pain and distress surgery may cause to laboratory rodents.  The overall objective of this project was in order to identify suitable analgesic regimes to employ for rodents undergoing surgical procedures thus improving the welfare of rodents used in various aspects of medical research.

Previous work focused on determining if mice used in cancer research experience pain, and if so, to determine when this occurs and its severity. Using automated behaviour analysis alongside conditioned place preference and nociceptive testing we hope to identify specifically when pain does present in order to refine end points for studies and improve welfare.

I was also involved in a large project investigating early detection of health and welfare challenges in commercial pigs.

Current work focuses on improving analgesic regimes for laboratory mice, to improve both welfare and the quality of scientific data produced from mouse models.

Publications

• Alameer A, Kyriazakis I, Dalton H, Miller AL, Bacardit J. Automatic recognition of feeding and foraging behaviour in pigs using deep learning. Biosystems Engineering 2020, 197, 91-104.
• McLennan KM, Miller AL, Dalla Costa E, Stucke D, Corke MJ, Broom DM, Leach MC. Conceptual and methodological issues relating to pain assessment in mammals: The development and utilisation of pain facial expression scales. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2019, 217, 1-15.
• Miller AL, Dalton H, Kanellos T, Kyriazakis I. How many pigs within a group need to be sick to lead to a diagnostic change in the group’s behavior?. Journal of Animal Science 2019, 97(5), 1956-1966.
• Campos-Luna I, Miller A, Beard A, Leach M. Validation of mouse welfare indicators: a Delphi consultation survey. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 10249.
• Lofgren J, Miller AL, Lee CSS, Bradshaw C, Flecknell P, Roughan JV. Analgesics promote welfare and sustain tumour growth in orthotopic 4T1 and B16 mouse cancer models. Laboratory Animals 2018, 52(4), 351-364.
• Matthews SG, Miller AL, Plotz T, Kyriazakis I. Automated tracking to measure behavioural changes in pigs for health and welfare monitoring. Scientific Reports 2017, 7, 17582.
• Matthews SG, Miller AL, Clapp J, Plötz T, Kyriazakis I. Early detection of health and welfare compromises through automated detection of behavioural changes in pigs. The Veterinary Journal 2016, 217, 43-51.
• Thomas AA, Miller AL, Roughan JV, Malik A, Haylor KE, Sanderson C, Flecknell PA, Leach M. Efficacy of intrathecal morphine in a model of surgical pain in rats. PLOS One 2016, 11(10), e0163909.
• Miller A, Leach MC. The effect of handling method on the mouse grimace scale in two strains of laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 2016, 50(4), 305-307.
• Miller AL, Golledge HDR, Leach MC. The influence of isoflurane anaesthesia on the rat grimace scale. PLoS ONE 2016, 11(11), e0166652.
• Miller AL, Kitson GL, Skalkoyannis B, Flecknell PA, Leach MC. Using the mouse grimace scale and behaviour to assess pain in CBA mice following vasectomy. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2016, 181, 160-165.
• Miller A, Burson H, Soeling A, Roughan J. Welfare assessment following heterotopic or orthotopic inoculation of bladder cancer in C57BL/6 mice. PLoS One 2016, 11(7), e0158390.
• Hawkins P, Berdoy M, Bur C, Bursnall D, Cruden J, McCormick W, Miller A, Proctor H, Whittaker D, Jennings M, Hubrecht R. Report of the 2014 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group Meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare, 2015. Animal Technology and Welfare.
• Miller AL, Kitson GL, Skalkoyannis B, Leach MC. The effect of isoflurane anaesthesia and buprenorphine on the mouse grimace scale and behaviour in CBA and DBA/2 mice. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2015, 172, 58-62.
• Miller AL, Leach MC. The Mouse Grimace Scale: A Clinically Useful Tool?. PLoS ONE 2015, 10(9), e0136000.
• Miller AL, Leach MC. Using the Mouse Grimace Scale to assess pain associated with routine ear notching and the effect of analgesia in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 2015, 49(2), 117-120.
• Miller AL, Wright-Williams SL, Flecknell PA, Roughen JV. A comparison of abdominal and scrotal approach methods of vasectomy and the influence of analgesic treatment in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 2012, 46(4), 304-310.
• Leach MC, Klaus K, Miller AL, Scotto di Perrotolo M, Sotocinal SG, Flecknell PA. Are we looking in the right place? - Implications for assessing pain. In: ALTEX: 8th World Congress. 2012, Montreal, Canada: Springer Spektrum.
• Brieuc V, Flecknell P, Miller A, Thomas A, Leach M. Peut-on utilliser les expressions faciales pour étudier la douleur chez les rongeurs? (Can we use facial expressions to study pain in rodents?). STAL 2012, 38(3), 33-45.
• Leach MC, Klaus K, Miller AL, Scotto di Perrotolo M, Sotocinal SG, Flecknell PA. The Assessment of Post-Vasectomy Pain in Mice using Behaviour and the Mouse Grimace Scale. PloS One 2012, 7(4), e35656.
• Miller AL, Flecknell PA, Leach MC, Roughan JV. A comparison of a manual and an automated behavioural analysis method for assessing post-operative pain in mice. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2011, 131(3-4), 138-144.
• Miller A, Richardson C. Rodent analgesia. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice 2011, 14(1), 81-92.
• Leach MC, Bailey HE, Dickinson AL, Roughan JV, Flecknell PA. A preliminary investigation into the practicality of use and duration of action of slow-release preparations of morphine and hydromorphone in laboratory rats. Laboratory Animals 2010, 44(1), 59-65.
• Miller A. Assessment of rodent behavioural analysis software. Animal Technology and Welfare 2010, 9(1), 53-55.
• ScottodiPerrotolo M, Miller AL, Leach MC, Flecknell PA. Mesure de la fiabilité et de la precision des expressions facials pour évaluer la douler chez la souris. STAL 2010, 36(4), 49-58.
• Dickinson AL, Leach MC, Flecknell PA. Influence of early neonatal experience on nociceptive responses and analgesic effects in rats. Laboratory Animals 2009, 43(1), 11-16.
• Dickinson AL, Leach MC, Flecknell PA. The analgesic effects of oral paracetamol in two strains of mice undergoing vasectomy. Laboratory Animals 2009, 43(4), 357-361.