Let's talk about #breastfeeding! 🧵. What are the opportunities & challenges in this exciting (+ controversial) field?. Check out our* interdisciplinary perspectives in .@ConversationCA .

RT @KirstyDuncanPhD: Science and research matter. They are fundamental building blocks of Canada. We need a minister with research in the….

#Breastfeeding peeps (parents and scientists!) - if you could have a ✨rapid test✨ for breastmilk, to detect anything you want - what is on your wish list?. - Medications?.- Alcohol?.- Pathogens?.- Food allergens?.- . etc!.

⏱️Still time to apply! Deadline is ✨tomorrow✨, May 31.

RT @MeghanAzad: ✨ Job Alert: Bioinformatician & Data Manager ✨ . Support our research on milk, microbiomes & child health! . 📍Remote (with….

Check out our editorial and special collection:.

Join us in Niagara Falls this summer!.

RT @CIFAR_News: CIFAR's new Humans & the Microbiome curriculum features a Breastfeeding module by learning lead @MeghanAzad, which explores….

✨ Job Alert: Bioinformatician & Data Manager ✨ . Support our research on milk, microbiomes & child health! . 📍Remote (within 🇨🇦) or In-person .💵 $74K–$107K + benefits .⏱️ Full Time .🎓 MSc & 4+ yrs experience req'd . Apply at: (#38485). Pls share! 🙏🏻

RT @CIFAR_News: Introducing CIFAR’s new Public Health Microbiome curriculum!. Led by experts @MeghanAzad, @CTropini, @Naama_GZ and Melissa….

RT @GMFHx: Where are we on the clinical translation of microbiome research?. @gilbertjacka, @MeghanAzad & colleagues discuss how microbiome….

RT @KindrachukJason: Fully agreed with Dr. @MeghanAzad. My #ResearchManitoba new investigator grant helped establish my lab, get pubs out,….

My $225k Research Manitoba New Investigator Grant in 2016 (pre-budget cuts). ✅ Funded my first #breastmilk study.📰 Led to 15 pubs (and counting).💵 Attracted $15M in grants (and counting). I feel for #NewPIs today. @WabKinew, pls re-fund research in MB!.

ICYMI - our commentary on important new #breastmilk & #microbiome research from @Sara_SShama & team:.

Big congrats to the MaxiMOM team on this new research & thanks to my #THRiVElab co-authors Saeid, Laura & Kelsey. 📖 Read the original study in @CellRepMed: 💬 Thoughts? Let’s discuss below! ⬇️. #Breastfeeding #Microbiome #VLBW #Breastmilk.

We need more research to understand:.❓ How this affects babies’ health long-term.❓ How other #breastmilk compounds impact this process.❓ Potential probiotic strategies from milk microbes.

What does this mean? 🤔. ✨Breastmilk is more than just food - it helps seed the gut microbiome!✨. Supporting mothers to feed their own milk directly to their premature babies (as soon as feasible) supports their gut microbiome development.

Key Findings:. 📉 Microbial diversity changes over time (down in milk, up in gut) . 🤱🏽 Microbe sharing is higher with direct breastfeeding (vs pumped milk). 💊 Antibiotics disrupt microbe sharing. 🤔 Milk fortifiers unexpectedly alter gut microbiota

What is special about this study? 🤩. 👶🏼VLBW infants.📆 Daily(!!!) sampling for 8 weeks.🦠 Measuring “microbial intake”. Most studies are done in healthy babies, using 1 or just a few samples per baby, without precise data on how much milk (& milk microbes!) each baby ingests.

Why does this matter?. VLBW infants – born smaller than cauliflower - have unique challenges, putting them at high risk for death/disability:. ⚠ Tube feeding.⚠ Antibiotics.⚠ Immature gut. These all disrupt the gut microbiome. which is supported by #breastmilk!

What did they find? . Evidence that mothers and babies share microbes through #breastfeeding! 🦠🤱👶. Some research has shown this before (including ours from the @CHILDStudy) - but this was the first such study in very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants – i.e. tiny preemies.