Tiny Heroes: The Science Behind Extracellular Vesicles in Human Milk

SIGNALERS kicks-off a new public-private collaboration to unlock the potential of human milk-derived extracellular vesicles (mEVs), bringing together fundamental and translational scientists (Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht) with food and food processing industry (Nestlé), supported by end-user representatives and translation experts.

A baby exposed to suboptimal nutrition during its first 1,000 days starts off its life at a disadvantage. About 16.5% of newborns in the Netherlands do not get off to a good start at birth due to poor nutrition or premature birth, facing life-long health consequences. Low rates of exclusive breastfeeding contribute to suboptimal nutrition and babies from low socioeconomic status families are most at risk as they experience lower rates of exclusive breastfeeding compared to high-SES families. Human milk is the gold standard in newborn nutrition, providing a spectrum of bioactive components that impact newborn development. Among these, mEVs are tiny conveyors of biological messages from mother to infant that impact various target cells and promote healthy development.

SIGNALERS’s goal is to understand how mEVs work. For this, we will (1) define the modulatory capacity of mEVs on in-vitro models of T cells, neuronal and liver cells that we will develop for this purpose; (2) couple mEV functionality to multi-omics measurements of mEV cargo to define cargo-functional relationships; and finally (3) investigate how regular milk processing influences mEV cargo and function.

The success of SIGNALERS will answer fundamental research questions about mEVs that will provide the foundation for developing (health, clinical, food, industrial) mEV-based innovations that enable optimal early-life nutrition for all newborns – regardless of socioeconomic status. By ensuring a healthy life start, we can contribute to prevent the onset of chronic diseases