# The Therapeutic Potential of Pasteurized Human Donor Breast Milk Exosomes

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $185,625

## Abstract

Project Summary: Exosomes are small, naturally occurring nanovesicles that facilitate cellular
communication. Exosomes are now being viewed as potential therapeutic agents in multiple
organ systems. Our preliminary data show that human breast milk derived exosomes (HBMDE)
protect intestinal epithelial cells from oxidative stress by decreasing inflammation and up
regulating protective proteins. Although these results are promising, not all premature infants
have access to the therapeutic benefit of their own mother’s breast milk. Currently the
recommendation for infection and communicable disease prevention prevent sharing of fresh
breast milk from another infant’s mother. Breast milk donor banks have largely addressed this
problem by allowing infants access to pasteurized pathogen free breast milk. Recent evidence
suggest that exosomes are present in pasteurized donor milk, but it is not known if they have
the same therapeutic benefit and immune profile of non-pasteurized fresh human milk
exosomes. To date, exosomes have not been used as a systemic multi-organ therapy to reduce
cellular injury. The potential use of donor milk exosomes would greatly accelerate this relatively
new treatment strategy. This proposal will provide a comprehensive analysis on the
immunogenic and therapeutic properties of pasteurized HBMDE.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10456870
- **Project number:** 5R21HD104481-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Colin A Martin
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $185,625
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10456870

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10456870, The Therapeutic Potential of Pasteurized Human Donor Breast Milk Exosomes (5R21HD104481-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10456870. Licensed CC0.

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