News Blog
October 20, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Maternal & Child Nutrition
106. Azad MB, Nickel NC, Bode L, Brockway M, Brown A, Chambers C, Goldhammer C, Hinde K, McGuire M, Munblit D, Patel AL, Perez-Escamilla R, Rasmussen KM, Shenker N, Young BE, Zuccolo L (2020) Breastfeeding and the Origins of Health: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Priorities. Maternal & Child Nutrition (Accepted) [Perspective]
October 13, 2020
NASEM report on Human Milk officially published
Our National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) report on "Scanning for New Evidence on the Nutrient Content of Human Milk: A Model for the Derivation of Age-Specific Nutrient Requirements" officially published today.
Click Here to read the entire report.
September 25, 2020
COVID-19 work highlighted in ABC 10News
UC San Diego study finds coronavirus is not transmitted through breast milk
Research also suggests breast milk may transfer antibodies
Click Here to read the story at ABC 10News.
September 25, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in ISME Journal
105. Pruss K, Marcobal A, Southwick A, Dahan D, Smits S, Ferreyra J, Higginbottom S, Sonnenburg E, Kashyap P, Choudhury B, Bode L, Sonnenburg J (2020) Mucin-derived O-glycans supplemented to diet mitigate diverse microbiota perturbations. ISME Journal (Accepted) [Research Article]
September 4, 2020
Job Opening! - Staff Research Associate II
Join our team as we take on exciting new projects on HMOs and expand our analytical platform to other human milk components!
Applications for a Staff Research Associate II position are now open.
Click Here to apply!
Additional positions will open shortly.
August 19, 2020
New study out today in JAMA
New study out today in JAMA showing no evidence of active SARS-CoV-2 virus in breastmilk of infected women!
Only one of the 64 breastmilk samples tested positive for presence of viral RNA by RT-PCR. - However, none of the breastmilk samples tested positive for presence of active (replication-competent)
virus in culture, including the one sample that tested positive for viral RNA.
Even if breastmilk was contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 during pumping and handling, Holder pasteurization, which is commonly used by human milk banks, inactivates the virus in contaminated
breastmilk.
Inspiring collaboration with Dr. Christina Chambers and the Mommy's Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository at UC San Diego and Dr. Grace Aldrovandi and team at UC Los Angeles.
BREASTMILK is SAFE! - DONOR MILK is SAFE!
Click Here to read the full research letter.
August 17, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Gut Microbes
104. Jones RB, Berger PK, Plows JF, Alderete TL, Millstein J, Fogel J, Iablokov SN, Rodionov DA, Osterman AL, Bode L, Goran, MI (2020) Lactose-Reduced Infant Formula with Added Corn Syrup Solids is Associated with a Distinct Gut Microbiota in Hispanic Infants. Gut Microbes (Accepted) [Research Article]
August 3, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in JAMA
103. Chambers CD, Krogstad P, Bertrand K, Contreras D, Tobin NH, Bode L, Aldrovandi GM (2020) Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 in Breastmilk from 18 Infected Women. JAMA (Accepted) [Research Article]
August 3, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
102. Berger PK, Plows JF, Jones RB, Alderete TL, Rios C, Fields DA, Bode L, Peterseon BS, Goran M (2020) Associations of maternal fructose and sugar-sweetened beverage and juice intake during lactation with infant neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months. Am J Clin Nutr (Accepted) [Research Article]
July 20, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Nutrients
101. Saben JL, Abraham A, Bode L, Sims CR, Andres A (2020) Third-trimester Glucose Homeostasis in Healthy Women is Associated with Human Milk Oligosaccharide Composition at 2 Months Postpartum. Nutrients (Accepted) [Research Article]
July 14, 2020
Study highlighted in Nature Reviews Endocrinology
Nature Reviews Endocrinology highlights our recent paper published in Nature Metabolism "3’Sialyllactose in Breastmilk is A Critical Mediator to Improve Metabolic Health and Cardiac Function in Offspring".
Click Here to read the Research Highlight.
July 14, 2020
New study out today in Journal of Perinatology
New study out today in Journal of Perinatology - "A comparison of macronutrient-based methods for deriving energy values in human milk""
Wonderful collaboration with Drs. Maryanne Perrin, Erin Hamilton Spence, Mandy Belfort and Margaret Parker.
Click Here to read the manuscript.
July 11, 2020
New study out today in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
New study out today in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) - "Human Milk Oligosaccharide Profiles and Allergic Disease Up to 18 Years"
In collaboration with Caroline Lodge, Adrian Lowe, Shyamali Dharmage and others at the University of Melbourne, Australia, we measured human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) composition in breastmilk samples from the Melbourne Atopy Cohort Study (MACS) that were collected in the 1980s (!) and linked the data to allergic disease outcomes in breastfed infants all the way up to 18 years of age (!).
Similar to previous studies on allergic diseases, instead of identifying individual HMOs, we discovered HMO composition profiles (clusters of different HMOs) that were associated with allergic disease outcomes.
Click Here to read the manuscript.
June 29, 2020
New study out today in Nature Metabolism
In the present study, we identify an exercise-induced increase in the oligosaccharide 3′-sialyllactose (3′SL) in milk in humans and mice, and show that the beneficial effects of maternal exercise on mouse offspring’s metabolic health and cardiac function are mediated by 3′SL.
The present study reveals a critical role for the human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) 3′SL to mediate the effects of maternal exercise on offspring health. 3′SL supplementation is a potential therapeutic approach to combat the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The project is a collaboration with Dr. Kristin Stanford's group at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Dr. Aline Andres's group at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center.
Click Here to read the manuscript.
June 19, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
100. Zhou R, Llorente C, Cao J, Gao B, Duan Y, Jiang L, Wang Y, Kumar V, Starkel P, Bode L, Fan X, Schnabl B (2020) Deficiency of intestinal α1-2-fucosylation exacerbates ethanol-induced liver disease in mice. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (Accepted) [Research Article]
May 26, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Pediatric Obesity
99. Plows JS, Berger PK, Jones RB, Yonemitsu C, Ryoo JH, Alderete TL, Bode L, Goran MI (2020) Associations between human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and eating behavior in Hispanic infants at 1 and 6 months of age. Pediatric Obesity (Accepted) [Research Article]
May 21, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in BMC Microbiology
98. Moossavi S, Fehr K, Derakhshani H, Sbihi H, Robertson B, Bode L, Brook J, Turvey SE, Moraes TJ, Becker AB, Mandhane PJ, Sears MR, Khafipour E, Subbarao P, Azad MB (2020) Human milk fungi: environmental determinants and inter-kingdom associations with milk bacteria in CHILD Cohort Study. BMC Microbiology (Accepted) [Research Article]
May 20, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in JACI
97. Lodge CJ, Lowe AJ, Milanzi E, Bowatte G, Abramson MJ, Tsimilkis H, Axelrad C, Robertson B, Darling AE, Svanes C, Wjst M, Dharmage SC, Bode L (2020) Human Milk Oligosaccharide profiles and allergic disease up to 18 years in the MACS Cohort. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Accepted) [Research Article]
May 14, 2020
New study out today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition! - "Human milk oligosaccharides and their association with late-onset neonatal sepsis in Peruvian very-low-birth-weight infants"
Neonatal sepsis is a major global health problem that contributes significantly to infant morbidity and mortality. Human milk has proven protective against neonatal sepsis and other infections, especially in preterm and very-low-birthweight infants.
Together with our colleagues in Peru, we report that the composition of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) is associated with late-onset neonatal sepsis. Specifically, higher concentrations of FDSLNH are associated with higher survival probability.
Click Here to read the paper!
May 5, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Maternal & Child Nutrition
96. Lackey KA, Pace RM, Williams JE, Bode L, Donovan SM, Järvinen KM, Seppo AE, Raiten DJ, Meehan CL, McGuire MA, McGuire MK (2020) SARS-CoV-2 and human milk: what is the evidence? Maternal & Child Nutrition (Accepted) [Review]
May 4, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Cell Host & Microbe
95. Fehr K, Moossavi S, Sbihi H, Boutin RCT, Bode L, Robertson B, Yonemitsu C, Field CJ, Becker AB, Mandhane PJ, Sears MR, Khafipour E, Moraes TJ, Subbarao P, Finlay BB, Turvey SE, Azad MB (2020) Breastmilk feeding practices and co-occurrence of bacteria in mothers’ milk and the infant gut: evidence from the CHILD Cohort Study. Cell Host & Microbe (Accepted) [Research Article]
May 1, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Obesity
94. Berger PK, Plows JF, Jones, EB, Alderete TL, Yonemitsu C, Ryoo JH, Bode L, Goran MI (2020) Human milk oligosaccharides and Hispanic infant weight gain in the first 6 months. Obesity (Accepted) [Research Article]
April 29, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Journal of Perinatology
93. Perrin MT, Hamilton Spence E, Belfort MB, Parker MG, Bode L (2020) A Comparison of Macronutrient-Based Methods for Deriving Energy Values in Human Milk. J Perinatol (Accepted) [Research Article]
April 28, 2020
New study out today in Maternal & Child Nutrition - "Distance, Diffusion, and the Role of Social Media in a Time of COVID Contagion"
The spread of health (mis)information particularly in times of crisis may cost or save human lives. Together with Dr. Sara Moukarzel and Dr. Alan Daly at the UC San Diego Department of Education Studies, we tracked in real time and "by accident" how information related to #breastfeeding and #COVID19 is disseminated on twitter right at the time the WHO released its interim guidelines for breastfeeding during the COVID-19 outbreak on March 16 and the days that followed.
Click Here to read the paper at MCN.
April 24, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Maternal & Child Nutrition
92. Moukarzel S, del Fresno M, Bode L, Daly AJ (2020) Distance, Diffusion, and the Role of Social Media in a Time of COVID Contagion. Maternal & Child Nutrition (Accepted) [Commentary]
April 20, 2020
Annalee accepted to Masters in Clinical Research graduate program
Annalee Furst, Staff Research Associate in the Bode lab, has been accepted to the UC San Diego Masters in Clinical Research graduate program!
Starting this fall and for the next two years, Annalee will take courses in epidemiology, data management, biostatistics, and translational research – to only name a few.
And the best part of it all: Annalee will remain part of the lab, applying her newly gained knowledge and skills to research on human milk oligosaccharides, and teaching us all what she’s learning in the program.
Congratulations for this major step on your career path forward, Annalee!! – To many more discoveries in the lab, and to many more pasta parties outside the lab!
April 19, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Nature Metabolism
91. Harris JE, Pinckard KM, Wright KR, Baer LA, Arts PJ, Abay E, Shettigar VK, Lehnig AC, Robertson B, Madaris K, Canova TJ, Sims C, Goodyear LJ, Andres A, Ziolo MT, Bode L, Stanford KI (2020) 3’Sialyllactose in Breastmilk is A Critical Mediator to Improve Metabolic Health and Cardiac Function in Offspring. Nature Metabolism (Accepted) [Research Article]
April 17, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
90. Torres Roldan VD, Urtecho M, Gupta J, Yonemitsu C, Carcamo CP, Bode L, Ochoa TJ (2020) Human milk oligosaccharides and their association with late-onset neonatal sepsis in Peruvian very low birth weight infants. Am J Clin Nutr (Accepted) [Research Article]
April 6, 2020
COVID-19 Research highlighted in The New York Times
"Should you breastfeed if you have the coronavirus?" asks Christina Caron in her article published in The New York Times on April 6, highlighting some of the COVID-19 research conducted at UC San Diego's MOMI CORE and Bode lab.
April 2, 2020
Bode Lab and MOMI CORE receive Game-Changing Gift for COVID-19 Research
"Recent philanthropic gifts to UC San Diego include $400,000 from anonymous donors who are directing their support to focus on pediatric care, and the research led by Lars Bode at the UC San Diego Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence to study COVID-19 breastfeeding transmission and breast milk immunity."
Click Here to read the entire story in thisweek@ucsandiego.
March 26, 2020
Bode Lab and MOMI CORE receive Major Gift for COVID-19 Research
The Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation (FLRF) has donated CHF 100,000 in an expedited, unbureaucratic process to help researchers at MOMI CORE, as part of a larger consortium, to address two critical questions:
- Is COVID-19 transmitted via breastmilk?
- Can breastmilk protect infants from COVID-19?
This extremely generous donation from FLRF will help us to mobilize immediately!
March 20, 2020
Bode Lab and MOMI CORE lead COVID-19 Research
Together with several other labs and centers at UC San Diego and collaborators from around the world, we are currently addressing two crucial questions:
- Is COVID-19 transmitted via breastfeeding?
- Can components in human milk block COVID-19 infectivity or even kill the virus?
Human milk can be a vector for viral transmission through breastfeeding, but also contains several anti-viral components that block viral diseases. However, we have very limited data on how breastfeeding and human milk bioactives impact COVID-19, but we need to find out to help stop the pandemic.
We URGENTLY need funds to expand this critical research! There is no time to write grant applications – we need to act NOW!
March 16, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in FEMS Microbiology Ecology
89. Lugli GA, Duranti S, Milani C, Mancabelli L, Turroni F, Alessandri G, Longhi G, Anzalone R, Viappiani A, Tarracchini C, Bernasconi S, Yonemitsu C, Bode L, Goran M, Ossiprandi MC, van Sinderen D, Ventura M (2020) Investigating bifidobacteria and human milk oligosaccharide composition of lactating mothers. FEMS Microbiology Ecology (Accepted) [ Research Article]
March 8, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in Nutrients
New manuscript accepted and published in Nutrients reporting HMO composition and variation in a mother-infant cohort from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This first paper from our new collaboration with Dr. Gilberto Kac's lab at the Institute of Nutrition Josué de Castro, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, describes the HMO composition in the cohort. The next manuscript, which is already in prepartion, will link the HMO data to specific infant outcomes. Exciting new data! Stay tuned!
88. Ferreira A, Alves R, Figueiredo A, Alves-Santos N, Costa N, Batalha M, Yonemitsu C, Manivong N, Furst A, Bode L, Kac G (2020) Human milk oligosaccharide profile variation throughout postpartum in healthy women in a Brazilian cohort. Nutrients (Accepted) [Research Article]
March 7, 2020
Bode lab Pasta Party
2020 Pasta PartyHosted by our very own Master Chef Annalee Furst, we created our own ravioli pasta... and somehow even the ravioli looked like HMOs...
Click Here to view more photos
March 6, 2020
Perspective article in Science
Perspective paper out in Science!
"Understanding the Mother-Milk-Infant ‘triad’: Breastmilk research holds important opportunities to improve maternal-child health"
Together with Dr. Nigel Rollins at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Simon Murch at University of Warwick, and Dr. Jeff Gordon at Wash U, we call for “timely investments in research designed to clarify the operations and biological effects of the mother-milk-infant ‘triad’, and their translation into public health”.
“Such efforts will not only provide new appreciation of the remarkable properties of nature’s first food, but also serve to further develop analytical approaches that yield insights into the dynamic systems that direct infant health.”
Click Here to read the full article.
87. Bode L, Raman AS, Murch SH, Rollins NC, Gordon JI (2020) Understanding the mother-breastmilk-infant "triad". Science 367(6482):1070-1072.
February 21, 2020
We escaped the Mad Lab!
It was a frantic quest to resurrect the chained up, radioactive Professor (not Lars!) and break into the vault. But with comfortable 11 minutes left before the clock hits zero, triggering the complete annihilation of the lab, the Bode lab solved all puzzles and challenges as a team and escaped... Strobe lights, special effects and an undead Professor... The "Mad Lab: Resurrection" escape room was a great adventure...
February 18, 2020
New study out today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition! - Associations between human milk oligosaccharides and growth in infancy and early childhood
Our earlier pilot studies in small cohorts of mothers and their infants followed up to 6 months of age in the US [Alderete et al. 2015] and Denmark [Larsson et al. 2019] found associations between specific HMOs and infant growth and body composition. Our new study found the very same HMOs being associated with length and weight in infancy and all the way to 5 years of age [Lagstrom et al. 2020].
In collaboration with Dr. Hanna Lagstrom and Dr. Samuli Rautava at the University of Turku in Finland, we analyzed the HMO composition in breast milk of over 800 mother-infant pairs from the Steps to healthy development of children (STEPS) study. Higher concentrations of the HMO 2'FL (2'-fucosyllactose) and lower concentrations of the HMO LNnT (lacto-N-neotetraose) were associated with higher length and weight in infancy and the differences persistent all the way to 5 years of age.
While associations do not establish causalities, it is striking that the very same HMOs are associated with infant growth in three independent cohorts. Our goal is to identify the underlying mechanisms, prove causalities, and eventually develop specific HMO blends targeted to assist growth and weight management in infants and potentially adults who have problems gaining weight or suffer from overweight and obesity.
Click Here to read the paper.
Click Here to read the UC San Diego press release.
Click Here to read the NIH/NICHD press release.
February 12, 2020
New study out today in PLOS ONE! - Human milk oligosaccharide 2’-fucosyllactose (2'FL) links feedings at 1 month to cognitive development at 24 months
Previous work in rodent models had shown that the human milk oligosaccharide 2'FL improves offspring learning and memory. In collaboration with Dr. Michael Goran's group at Children's Hospital Los Angeles we now show for the first time that higher 2'FL concentrations in mom's milk are indeed associated with baby's improved cognitive development at 2 years of age.
Future work will lead us to develop HMO-based interventions as well as novel human milk-based diagnostics to positively impact infant health and development.
Click Here to read the paper.
Click Here to read the full CHLA press release.
January 30, 2020
The Powers and Possibilities of Human Milk - LaunchBio's Larger Than Life Sciences event
Lars introduces the Bode lab and MOMI CORE and discusses the Powers and Possibilities of Human Milk with a highly engaged audience during the Larger Than Life Sciences event organized by LaunchBio and UC San Diego’s Office of Innovation and Commercialization.
Click for event photos!
January 27, 2020
Bode lab highlighted in San Diego County Medical Society magazine
Bode lab and MOMI CORE are highlighted in the January 2020 issue of the San Diego County Medical Society magazine.
"Promoting Mothers' Milk - The important role all physicians can play to improve infant and maternal health" by Nina C. Iwanaga (pages 12-15)
January 24, 2020
Lars gives 2020 Ved Londhe State-of-the-Art Lecture at WSPR conference in Carmel, California
January 17, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Our manuscript "Associations between human milk oligosaccharides and growth in infancy and early childhood" in collaboration with Dr. Hanna Lagstrom and Samuli Rautava at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
86. Lagstrom H, Rautava S, Ollila H, Kaljonen A, Turta O, Makela J, Yonemitsu C, Gupta J, Bode L (2020) Associations between human milk oligosaccharides and growth in infancy and early childhood. Am J Clin Nutr (Accepted)
January 16, 2020
Jumbo Undertaking: Collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global featured in thisweek@ucsandiego
UC San Diego and San Diego Zoo Global collaborate to improve overall health and survival of elephant calves
“This is the start of a much bigger picture. Multiple other labs at UC San Diego are now involved in the emerging partnership, looking at milk fat composition, the metabolome, as well as the microbiome, not only in milk, but in all parts of the mother-milk-infant triad. This is a great example of how we break down the silos within and between institutions like UC San Diego and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It’s these non-traditional intersections where innovation and discoveries are made.”
January 14, 2020
Manuscript accepted for publication in PLOS ONE
Our manuscript "Human milk oligosaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose links feedings at 1 month to cognitive development at 24 months in infants of normal and overweight mothers" in collaboration with Dr. Michael Goran's group at Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been accepted for publication in the journal PLOS ONE.
Congratulations to Chloe Yonemitsu for her contribution to this project and yet another manuscript co-authorship.
85. Berger PK, Plows JF, Jones RB, Alderete TL, Yonemitsu C, Ryoo JH, Peterson BS, Bode L, Goran MI (2020) Human milk oligosaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose links feedings at 1 month to cognitive development at 24 months in infants of normal and overweight mothers. PLOS ONE (Accepted)
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