The Research Group
We are an industry-independent, interdisciplinary group of researchers interested in the biological function of human and bovine milk,
especially milk's early programming abilities.
Mission Statement
During the early 1920s, with the worldwide introduction of artificial formula feeding for newborn infants, pediatricians viewed human milk as merely "just food." However, in recent decades, the perception of milk has shifted from a simple nutrient supply to a secretory system for oral programming required for physiological postnatal growth, organ and tissue development controlled by the maternal lactation genome. Compelling evidence highlights that certain components of human milk, lacking in infant formula, play a crucial role in early stem cell regulation. Unlike breast milk, which has evolved over millions of years of lactational evolution, artificial formula lacks many biologically active signaling compounds necessary for proper postnatal programming, increasing the long-term risk of obesity and diabetes mellitus. The various interactive factors of milk-related lactational programming include milk proteomics, glycomics, lipidomics, epigenetics, genomics, and transcriptomics, which warrant further investigation to enhance our understanding of the true nature of milk, a crucial step for the primary prevention of our chronic metabolic diseases of civilization such as obesity and diabetes mellitus.
Meet us at upcoming conferences & events
Be part of our journey and join us at future events