Lactosome Biology Project

Recent investigations in the Milk Bioactives Program have discovered a new kind of nano-sized lipid-carrying particle in human breast milk, which may have novel functions and health benefits for the breastfed infant. MBP researchers have coined the term ‘lactosome’ for these new particles and are applying a variety of biochemical and analytical techniques to determine their structure and function. The aim of the Lactosome Biology Project is to characterize the structural and compositional complexities and associated protective functionalities of lactosomes. The long-term goal of this project is to isolate these protective particles on a large scale for use as nano-therapies with various applications in the clinical setting. This collaborative project involves the use of chromatography, mass spectrometry for compositional and structural analyses and fluorescence spectroscopy and kinetics to assess functionality of lactosomes collected from human breast milk over the course of lactation.