2018 MOMI Seeds

Human milk not only nourishes babies with conventional nutrients such as fats and milk sugar, but also contains many other components that benefit the infant beyond providing energy. Among these are unusual sugars called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are the third most abundant components of breast milk (after fats and normal milk sugar lactose), but do not directly contribute to the growth of the baby. To understand the health-promoting functions of these important milk components, this pilot project will utilize rodent models to conduct innovative studies to determine how HMOs can affect the number, composition and function of the normal bacteria that colonize the gut of healthy babies.

Dr. Eckmann received his MD training at the University of Hamburg, Germany, conducted graduate research at the Beatson Institute in Glasgow, UK, and is now Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego. His research focuses on different aspects of immunology and infectious diseases in the gastrointestinal tract and other mucosal organs, ranging from mechanistic studies of immune responses in cell culture and rodent models to the development of novel antimicrobial drugs and vaccines.

The researchers who have designed this study are seeking to investigate how and if breastfeeding and breast milk provision positively impacts mother-infant bonding and neurodevelopmental outcomes in the high-risk group of neonates who have suffered neurologic damage from hypoxic ischemic injury or seizures. These critically ill, neurologically abnormal newborns have significantly high rates of permanent disabilities as a result of cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, and/or seizures which typically affects these patients for the remainder of their lives. If breastfeeding and the consumption of breast milk can potentially improve neurodevelopment outcomes for this population, as is generally seen in neurotypical children, then breast milk can potentially improve the lives of neurologically impaired children and their families.

Dr. Richard Haas is a UC San Diego Professor of Neurosciences and Pediatrics, an academic clinician practicing as a pediatric neurologist and neurometabolic specialist at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego. He is the Director of the Mitochondrial Disease Laboratory. His attempt to merge research and patient care has been a hallmark of his career and has created a referral base of both domestic and international patients. He is currently running several clinical trials on metabolic and muscle diseases including a recent FDA-funded study focusing on neonates at risk for or who have experienced seizures within 14 days of life. He is an early adopter and leader in translational medicine, participating in and personalizing current medical research for the benefit of patients with neurological and mitochondrial disorders.