Highlight of my visit!

I see it 😃

... so I reached out and Ali responded immediately, excited to collaborate.

I proposed a few microbe-themed ideas and she came up with this.

It was perfect on the first try. I had no suggestions (which, if you ask my students - is a miracle 😆)

Find Ali's fabulous work at lightandpapershop.com

Fun fact: Sarah has cameo in this video, discussing an early version of Fig. 3!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQvG...

Big thanks to our amazing team, spanning many institutions!
@umanitoba.bsky.social
@ualberta.bsky.social
@sickkidsvs.bsky.social
@chrimanitoba.bsky.social
@um-mchp.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social @humanmilkinstitute.bsky.social

+ funders CIHR & @researchmb.bsky.social

#TeamScience!

Take-home messages:

⚙️ Milk is a complex system with many components that help shape infant development - sometimes with competing or counterintuitive effects (#MoreResearchNeeded)

🧬 Genetics play a role in milk composition & function

🧠 We’re still learning how milk fuels growing brains!

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex sugars shaped by maternal genetics (secretor status)

We found:
🤔 Higher DSLNT → linked to lower motor scores at 1 yr
🧬 Secretor status ✨changed✨ some HMO associations with language & motor development

Fatty acids (FAs) are the building blocks of milk fat, important for brain development 🧠

We found:
🥑 Saturated FAs → positive link with motor skills at 1 year
🐟 Polyunsaturated n-3 & n-6 FAs → surprising negative link with cognition & motor skills

We studied
🤱🏻 240 parent–infant pairs from the CHILD cohort
🥑 20 fatty acids
🧪 19 human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)
🧠 Cognitive, language & motor development until 2 years

You are a posting machine! Thank you for sharing so much from here at #ADBTPH25.

@kozetamiliku.bsky.social
@dylanmackayphd.bsky.social