# DIVERSITY OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDE METABOLIZING GENES IN TWO INFANT COHORTS

> **NIH NIH R15** · WELLESLEY COLLEGE · 2022 · $408,740

## Abstract

DIVERSITY OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDE METABOLIZING GENES IN TWO INFANT COHORTS
Project Summary
Atopic dermatitis/eczema is a growing problem in the United States and affects nearly 20% of infants. It usually
begins during the first six months of an infant’s life. Early atopy is also one of the predictors of later allergic or
other hyperinflammatory health problems. Observational studies have demonstrated a protective effect of human
milk feeding for atopic dermatitis/eczema in infants. Thus, to protect their child from this disease, some women
choose to feed their infants human milk. However, there is conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of this
intervention. Although diet is likely an important contributor to this disease, the composition of the microbiota and
its ability to digest a specific component of the diet is potentially just as important in protecting against atopic
dermatitis/eczema. In fact, the ability of the intestinal microbiota to metabolize specific human milk
oligosaccharides (HMOs) may explain why human milk feeding protects against atopic dermatitis/eczema in
some but not all infants fed human milk. In this project, we will investigate microbial metabolism and metabolic
products and identify their association to atopic dermatitis. More specifically, we will assess the taxonomic,
functional, and metabolic composition of gut-resident bacteria from hundreds of infants residing in the Midwest
or Northeast United States to determine the diversity, prevalence, and abundance of microbial HMO metabolism.
This multi-omic data will be linked to reports of atopic dermatitis/eczema in the respective infants. We may also
identify microbiota-associated genes or metabolites that are protective against atopic dermatitis/eczema. We
expect that infants with a more diverse repertoire of HMO metabolizing genes present in their gut microbiome
will be protected from atopic dermatitis/eczema. Performing this research in two different regions of the US will
be especially advantageous, since subtle differences in medical or cultural practices, or simply geographic
differences in microbial exposure, may alter HMO metabolizing gene repertoires independent of breastfeeding
behavior. This research will dramatically improve our understanding of microbial HMO metabolism in human
infants in the United States and determine whether a specific pattern of HMO metabolizing genes protects infants
from atopic dermatitis and eczema.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10358332
- **Project number:** 1R15AI160139-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WELLESLEY COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Vanja Klepac-Ceraj
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $408,740
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-12-06 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10358332

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10358332, DIVERSITY OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDE METABOLIZING GENES IN TWO INFANT COHORTS (1R15AI160139-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10358332. Licensed CC0.

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