£1.2m grant to research benefits of breast milk for babies born early

WORK LOOKS AT MANAGING LIFE-THREATENING INFECTIONS

- By SAM VOLPE Health reporter

RESEARCHERS think breast milk could contain the answer to protecting vulnerable premature babies from illnesses like sepsis. Academics at Northumbria University have been awarded £1.2m to continue research into how a kind of virus called a "bacteriophage" can work with naturally occurring fats in breast milk to protect a baby's gut.

Bacteriophages are viruses that can “alter or destroy” bacteria. The researchers at Northumbria, the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Liverpool - are looking at whether those in breast milk can play a role in supporting the “gut microbiome” in premature babies. This can be not as fully developed as in babies who are full-term, which means they are at higher risk of health problems that could include sepsis or another lethal condition called “necrotising enterocolitis”.