Maternal & Child Nutrition Research through Precision Analytics
Human milk is the gold standard of infant nutrition, yet the science of understanding its full nutrient composition — and its drivers — remains an evolving area of research. At the MILQ-Lab, located at the USDA, ARS - Western Human, Nutrition Research Center and lead by Dr. Lindsay H. Allen and Dr. Daniela Hampel, we are dedicated to advancing the measurement and understanding human milk composition and the nutritional status of mothers and infants worldwide. Through rigorous method development, targeted metabolomics, and large-scale international studies — including the Mothers, Infants and Lactation Quality (MILQ) study — we generated evidence needed to establish global reference values for human milk nutrients, evaluate the impact of maternal supplementation and diet, and identify micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable populations across developing countries. Our work bridges analytical chemistry and global public health, translating laboratory precision into life-changing nutrition policy. While our core focus is maternal and infant nutrition, we welcome collaboration more broadly across any population where micronutrient status is a central concern — if that resonates with your work or if your research intersects with ours, please contact us, we'd love to hear more.
What's happening
- Congratulations to Margaret Hilliard and Danielle Lemay at the WHNRC on their new paper exploring dietary vitamin B12 intake, the gut microbiome, and short-chain fatty acid production, now published in Gut Microbes! We were happy to contribute laboratory expertise to this work.
- We’re excited to welcome Kristija Sejane, MSc student at the University of British Columbia, for her research training, sponsored by ISRHML Trainee Expansion Program.
- We are exited to add human milk targeted metabolomics analysis to our in-house portfolio, using the biocrates platform. Coming soon!
- We are exploring opportunities with Beth Schinkel and Dr. Elizabeth Nelson at MMIB Health (Mother's Milk Is Best) to advance human milk nutrition and targeted nutrient delivery for vulnerable newborns.