what is the quantification of Human Milk Proteins and their Glycoforms using LC/MS

Human milk oligosaccharides are a highly abundant constituent in human milk that have attracted considerable attention. In addition to their protective and prebiotic properties, there is evidence that they serve as a beneficial food for gut bacteria, block pathogens, and aid brain development. In an effort to explore their utility as disease and nutrition biomarkers, rapid-throughput methods are being developed to investigate their biological activity in large cohort sets. In this interview, we speak to Professor Carlito Lebrilla, a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis. His research group is focused on analytical chemistry with specific emphasis in the area of nutrition, disease markers and mass spectrometry methods.

The team are developing mass spectrometry-based tools for the discovery of marks for cancer including ovarian, breast and prostate. They are pioneering the glycemic approach for the early diagnosis of cancer. In nutrition, they are examining human milk as the model for the perfect food and determining bioactive components in milk. Here, Professor Lebrilla speaks about the applications of his work, his motivations and how he envisions the next few years will play out in the LCMS research space.

Q: The focus of your group is on developing analytical tools for nutrition and disease research. Can you discuss the applications of your work and then touch on recent study examples?

A: We have been studying human milk and looking at the bioactive components. We have discovered that there is a group of compounds called human milk oligosaccharides that are the third most abundant components, which are more abundant than proteins. Initially, they seemed to have no nutritional value, as there are no enzymes in the gut of the infant to break them down due to their structures. Therefore, we began to question the role of these complicated and very abundant structures, as they appeared to have no nutritional value. We discovered that the human milk oligosaccharides are food for a microbe that has the enzymes to break down the compounds. The bacteria had been recruited by the mother to protect her infant. Interestingly, when these bacteria get to the human milk oligosaccharides, it produces metabolites and products that the infant uses for protective and developmental purposes. 5 TECHNOLOGYNETWORKS.COM Proteomics These bacteria, more recently, has been eliminated due to cesarean section birth and the use of antibiotics. It is rare to see this in infants in the US and other developed countries.

Therefore, we started a company to make this beneficial bacteria, and you can buy this bacteria in hospitals in the US. The company itself is conducting a large clinical trial in Northern Europe to measure its potential translational beneficial effects on juvenile diabetes. The other side of the disease is that we’ve been looking for a way to diagnose cancers earlier, particularly ovarian cancer, through a blood biopsy or changes in the blood. We have discovered markers for these tests and have begun to commercialize these also by starting a company that is now developing these tests. I hope that within a few years we will have early tests for ovarian cancer, and other cancers, through this discovery.

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Priyadarsani - Feb 10, 2022, 1:22 PM - Add Reply

hi

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