Mother's milk studies

Since 2014, Héma-Québec has managed the Public Mothers’ Milk Bank, which supports mothers of premature babies who are unable to produce enough milk to meet their child’s needs. As with the organization’s other areas of activity, Héma-Québec’s research teams support these operations through various projects aimed at ensuring and improving the quality of the donor milk.

High-pressure treatment of breast milk

Héma-Québec's Public Mother’s Milk Bank pasteurizes milk to eliminate bacteria and viruses. While completely safe, this method does reduce the amounts of certain components that are essential for premature babies. An emerging technology, high-pressure treatment, makes it possible to destroy micro-organisms while preserving the milk’s properties. Studies show that high-pressure treatment works better to preserve bioactive factors, but its effectiveness against viruses and bacterial spores remains to be confirmed. This project compares different high-pressure pasteurization protocols to ensure microbiological safety while maintaining the nutritional and protective quality of breast milk.

Variation in the composition of breast milk over time

Currently, only mothers with a child under 12 months can contribute to the Public Mother’s Milk Bank. This rule is mainly based on observed breastfeeding habits, as few studies describe the composition of milk after one year. Recent data suggests that it remains high in fat, sugars and proteins, which are the essential elements for premature babies. This project analyzes the composition of the same breast milk up to 24 months after delivery, evaluating nutrients, protective factors and bacteria. These results could allow Héma-Québec to broaden its donation criteria and optimize the nutrition of vulnerable newborns.

Characterization of hindmilk

The milk released toward the end of a nursing session, called hindmilk, contains about three times as much fat as foremilk, providing up to 25 more calories per 100 ml. Since fat is the main source of energy for premature babies, the targeted use of hindmilk could meet their specific needs. This project aims to characterize this milk from a nutritional point of view and to analyze certain bioactive factors. These data will help assess its potential to improve the growth and health of vulnerable infants.

3-D intestinal organoid model to study BCS

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious intestinal disease that mainly affects babies of very low weight. It causes severe inflammation that can lead to intestinal perforation and sepsis, with a high mortality rate. Its causes are multiple and poorly understood. This project aims to develop a 3-D model of an intestinal organoid using stem cells from premature babies with NEC. This "mini-intestine" will make it possible to study the disease and evaluate the protective effect of breast milk and banked milk, paving the way for new prevention strategies.

Cannabis and breastfeeding: Implications for newborns' oral health

Since cannabis was legalized, its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding has raised concerns. Toxic compounds have been detected in the breast milk of smokers, but the effects of these compounds on the health of babies remain poorly studied. This project examines how cannabis changes the composition of milk, including nutrients and matrix vesicles, which are essential for the baby's immunity and development. We correlate these changes with indicators of oral health in newborns, such as saliva, microbiota and mucosa. This study aims to better understand the risks and provide information to improve clinical practice.

Studying the protective mechanism of action of breast milk on oral cancer

Oral cancer is one of the most common malignancies and causes more than 145,000 deaths per year worldwide. Despite the effectiveness of current treatments, it most often remains incurable when diagnosed late. Human breast milk is an irreplaceable source of nutrients essential for the growth and development of newborns, but it also contains multiple bioactive components, some of which have anti-tumour properties. Thus, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of breast milk on oral cancer cells as well as the mechanisms regulating this action.

Digestibility of breast milk proteins and artificial intelligence

As very premature babies are unable to ingest large volumes of milk, it is essential that they receive, from the first drops, milk with a high caloric and nutritional density. This project aims to evaluate the digestibility of hindmilk proteins, using the INFOGEST in vitro model, which mimics the digestive system of preterm infants. This digestibility will be compared to that of breast milk obtained from complete expression. The data collected will also be used to develop an artificial intelligence model to predict milk digestibility based on formulation variations and the processes used to bank breast milk.