University of California San Diego, among the world’s top-20 research universities, and the global leader in biosolutions Novonesis are excited to launch the establishment of a leading research consortium aimed at setting a new standard for collaboration and accelerating discoveries and knowledge in Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) science.
HMOs, which are complex milk sugars/carbohydrates, are the third most abundant component of human milk after lactose and lipids. They are associated with multiple health benefits in infants, but new studies indicate that they may also serve as biosolutions for people of other age groups.
The shared vision of the new consortium is to revolutionize the study, understanding and application of HMOs and advance the field of synbiotics. This combination of HMOs and probiotics working synergistically helps to promote a balanced and healthy gut microbiota which positively influences various aspects of health, including digestion, immune function and overall well-being.
The research consortium will be anchored at UC San Diego’s Human Milk Institute (HMI) under the leadership of Lars Bode, PhD, founding director of HMI. In the initial phase of the partnership, Novonesis is providing start-up funding for five interconnected seed grants along with HMOs and probiotics for the research.
“The five grantees will not work in isolation but interact closely together to leverage their complementary skills and expertise to generate the most meaningful and impactful results as a consortium,” said Bode.
A leap forward
The research consortium will empower scientific communities by facilitating collaboration between academia and industry, encouraging innovation and knowledge exchange to ultimately elevate the collective understanding and knowledge of how human milk and HMOs and probiotics impact human health and development.
Amy Byrick, EVP, Human Health Biosolutions, Novonesis: “At Novonesis, we have a proud tradition of partnering up with top universities, and this consortium is a perfect fit with our purpose to better our world with biology. Joining forces with UC San Diego, a powerhouse in research and discovery, marks the beginning of a journey with far-reaching impacts shaping the future of HMOs and synbiotics and advancing global health through innovative biosolutions.”
UC San Diego HMI and Novonesis are committed to eventually bringing in other academic and industry partners to develop a strategic framework that identifies knowledge gaps and outlines a robust path to close them. “There are so many aspects we don’t fully understand yet,” said Bode, “Only together, with a strategic, robust, and synergistic approach, will we be able to uncover the immense potential of HMOs and synbiotics for human health and development”.
