International Conference on Human Milk Science & Innovation Explores Scientific Potential and Clinical Relevance of Human Milk

PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 6, 2017 – World-renowned scientists, researchers and clinicians will convene at the fifth annual International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation (ICHMSI) in Pasadena, Calif., Sept. 6-8, 2017, to hear the latest research on biology, science and clinical aspects of human milk and its applications.

Over the past five years, the ICHMSI has become the premier forum for thought leaders and medical experts in the science of human milk. William Rhine, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, and Lars Bode, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, are serving as co-chairs and will deliver the opening and closing remarks for the conference. The keynote address will be given by Mary Fewtrell, M.D., University College London.

“The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation has become a forum for thought leaders worldwide to share the latest research on the clinical potential of human milk,” said Dr. Rhine, co-chair. “Since the inception of this conference, there has been an incredible evolution in clinical application. We are just beginning to unlock the healing power of human milk.”

The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation program will include the following presentations from experts in their respective fields:

• Lars Bode, Ph.D., co-chair ICHMSI, University of California, San Diego: “Human milk oligosaccharides at the interface of maternal-infant health.”
• Mandy Brown Belfort, M.D., M.P.H., Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School: “Human milk and preterm infant brain development.”
• Stella M. Davies, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., M.R.C.P., Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center: “Human milk to prevent and heal gastrointestinal tract injury in children after bone marrow transplantation.”
• Steven D. Freedman, M.D., Ph.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School: “Breast milk fats and lipids: expanding benefits to fragile infant populations.”
• Mohammed Ghaly, Ph.D., Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE): “Human milk-based industry in the Muslim world: how to address the religio-ethical challenges?”
• Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry: “Variations in human milk composition: impact on immune development and allergic disease susceptibility.”
• Rob Knight, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego: “Integrated approaches to analyze big data in the perinatal/neonatal space.”
• Edmund La Gamma, M.D., New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center: “Transfusion-related acute gut injury (TRAGI): potential mechanisms and opportunities for prevention.”
• Guido E. Moro, M.D., Italian Association of Donated Human Milk Banks (AIBLUD): “The history of milk banking: from origin to present time.”
• Sasirekha Ramani, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine: “Multidisciplinary studies on rotavirus – human milk oligosaccharide interactions.”
• Samuli Rautava, M.D., Ph.D., Turku University Hospital and University of Turku: “Probiotic intervention through the pregnant and breastfeeding mother to reduce disease risk in the child.”
  

This year’s conference will also include a presentation by Adam Lewandowski, Ph.D., BSc (Hons), the first recipient of the Ruth A. Lawrence Investigator Award for Research in Human Milk Science. The annual award recognizes a medical fellow or postdoctoral scholar for his or her research in the science of human milk.

About International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation

The International Conference on Human Milk Science and Innovation is the premier forum covering the latest in scientific and clinical research related to human milk. Renowned scientists and clinicians from around the world attend this annual event to present and discuss the scientific potential of human milk and raise awareness of its clinical applicability. The conference is sponsored by Prolacta Bioscience and will be held at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.

www.humanmilkscience.org