Local Partners

As a world-renowed center, CMI coordinates and accelerates microbiome research across UC San Diego and around the world. The human microbiome is implicated in infant development, health and disease. Human milk and lactation are major determinants of the types of bacteria that grow on and in the infant. By joining efforts with CMI and creating MOMI BIOME, we are building partnerships that address research ideas linking human milk and lactation, the microbiome and maternal/infant health.

CHARM supports a wide range of innovative scientific and outreach strategies to address superbugs, which are antibiotic-resistant microbes that no longer reliably respond to antibiotic therapy. Superbugs often strike the sickest and most vulnerable in the population, including the elderly and hospitalized patients. Human milk contains bioactive compounds that help fight infections. By joining efforts with CHARM, we are identifying and developing natural therapeutics using human milk as a template as means to address this pressing challenge to clinical medicine and public health.

SDDRC investigators conduct outstanding research related to inflammation, immunity, and host-microbial interactions in both gastrointestinal tract and liver. By joining efforts, the center facilitates the design, implementation and analysis of preclinical and clinical experiments focusing on the role of human milk compounds in gut health with focus on diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The Center for Mucosal Immunology, Allergy and Vaccine Development (cMAV) is a joint program between Chiba University (Japan) and UC San Diego. Breast milk is a quintessential mucosal secretion. Mucosal immunization induces IgA antibodies that are transferred into breast milk and confer protection to a neonate. Other molecules in milk support the development of a diverse microbiome and the mucosal immune system. In addition to protection from infectious diseases, breast milk may reduce allergies, asthma, celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases. Through collaborative research projects, interventional studies may provide mechanistic insights regarding the benefit of breast milk to a range of diseases throughout the body.

HUMANOID is changing the game in modeling human diseases and setting new standards for translational research. HUMANOID's 5-Dimensional Organoid Research (3D organoids + microbiome + immune cells) provides a unique platform to study the role of human milk components at epithelial interfaces as well as in complex inter-organ communication including the gut-brain axis, the gut-liver axis and the gut-muscle and adipose tissue axis.  

Mothers from the San Diego community generously donate milk and provide diverse clinical information about maternal exposures during pregnancy/lactation and infant development outcomes. This helps establish a large clinical research database of indexed samples for researchers to query and cull from for their research projects. By partnering with Mommy's Milk, we aim to accelerate research focused at relationships between maternal exposures, milk composition, and infant development.

The institute addresses and expands upon emerging opportunities for promoting public health locally, nationally, and globally through trans-disciplinary and cross sectoral efforts across UC San Diego and the greater community. With MOMI CORE, the institute co-sponsors pilot grants that advance cutting edge public health research as it relates to human milk and lactation.