Making the UCSD Human Milk Biorepository more diverse and accessible
Maintaining and Enriching the UCSD Human Milk Research Biorepository (HMB) Cohort to Support Scientific Diversity
This effort is growing UCSD's national collection of donated breast milk and health information to include more breastfeeding people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11250025 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You could donate breast milk samples and basic health and infant development information to a national biorepository that already holds over 110,000 aliquots. UCSD will partner with local lactation groups and community or academic partners in selected U.S. metropolitan areas to enroll more participants from underrepresented communities. Donated milk will be processed into aliquots, stored, linked with longitudinal clinical and survey data, and shared with qualified researchers for approved studies. The goal is to improve representation so future research better reflects different communities and infant outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are lactating people (including those breastfeeding or chestfeeding) willing to donate milk samples and share health and infant development information, especially from selected metropolitan areas or underserved communities.
Not a fit: People who are not lactating or who are unwilling to provide milk samples or share health information would not be able to participate or benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this will help researchers understand how breast milk influences infant health across diverse populations, which could improve feeding guidance and public health policies.
How similar studies have performed: This builds on UCSD's established Human Milk Biorepository started in 2014, which has successfully collected and stored tens of thousands of samples, while the targeted expansion of diversity is a newer effort.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chambers, Christina — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Chambers, Christina
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 below.