From Our Director, Lars Bode, PhD: 

Human Milk Matters

head shot of Center Director Lars Bode

As a scientist and the director of MOMI CORE, I see health crises emerging and worsening every year. I believe we need to look somewhere new for answers - human milk. The idea that human milk is just food for babies couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s full of molecules and cells that protect infants and mothers from diseases and improve their overall health and development. What exactly is in human milk? How does it work? Can we leverage it to improve the health of all people at every stage of life? We created MOMI CORE - the first-ever interdisciplinary research center committed to human milk and lactation - to answer these questions and many more. I invite you to join us as we look to human milk for new answers.

Connecting the Sciences

Our mission is to create an engine of discovery focused on understanding human milk by fostering collaborative investigation across research, education and clinical practice to improve the health and development of infants, mothers, and society as a whole.

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Innovation through Intersection

Siloed research delays medical breakthroughs. For example, evidence shows that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk. Yet, cancer experts rarely collaborate with human milk researchers to understand what makes human milk and breastfeeding so powerful and to leverage each other's expertise to discover new prevention and treatment options. It’s time to tear down walls and connect people from across disciplines to generate bold new ideas.

 

Disrupting Traditional Research Funding

Research is a marathon, not a sprint. However, research funding is time-limited, forcing researchers to spend precious time pursuing dollars instead of answers. MOMI CORE utilizes a sustainable financing system that allows investigators to focus on what matters—actual research.

 

Making a Global Impact

Our ultimate goal at MOMI CORE is to improve health outcomes for people around the world. By rising about dogma, following the evidence, and sharing discoveries with healthcare professionals and decision-makers, we make a positive and lasting impact on global health for years to come.

A Setting for Success

Our mission is an ambitious one. Fortunately, we have an advantage: We are part of the brilliant and collaborative UC San Diego community. With leading minds in biomedical research and education, along with cutting-edge technology and facilities, MOMI CORE is uniquely positioned to connect diverse thinkers and become the global epicenter of discovery in human milk and lactation.

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