How a mother's breast milk may help prevent food allergies in babies
Official title: Maternal influence on offspring food allergy
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11159393 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether antibodies and microbes in mother's breast milk help babies develop tolerance to foods like egg or peanut.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $524,447 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI172938-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11159393 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be breastfeeding mothers (and their newborns/infants) who are willing to provide milk samples, especially those with a family history of food allergy or concern about infant allergy risk.
✕Less likely to help
People with established food allergy who are not breastfeeding or who cannot provide milk samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
From a parent's view, researchers are studying how immune factors in breast milk teach a baby’s immune system not to overreact to foods. They use mouse experiments and human milk samples to see how maternal antibody–allergen complexes and milk microbes transferred during nursing promote regulatory immune cells in offspring. The team compares milk from non-atopic and atopic mothers, gives milk or antibody complexes to neonatal mice (including mice with a humanized milk receptor), and then checks for allergic reactions after skin exposure and oral feeding. They will also study a specific early-life window during lactation when these milk factors and microbes are most likely to shape tolerance.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to mother-focused or milk-based ways to prevent food allergies in infants.
How similar studies have gone: Previous mouse experiments and tests using human milk in humanized mice support this mechanism, but direct clinical trials in human infants are still lacking.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oyoshi, Michiko — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Oyoshi, Michiko
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.