Research Methods:
Study 1 - BECS: a prospective cohort study
This study aims to identify early markers of breast cancer in women who are breastfeeding. By giving samples of milk and blood, and completing a risk marker questionnaire, women will join a cohort who will then be followed up over their lifetime. We hope to identify new ways to detect a woman at high risk of breast cancer from changes in their milk. These include changes in the epigenetic signatures of breast epithelial cells, the cells that line milk ducts.
Study 2 - Understanding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in human milk
The aim of this study was to understand how antibodies were produced by the mother after COVID-19 vaccination, and to help answer that we recruited 30 women across London and Hertfordshire during 2020. The results from this study have been published and can be read here.
Study 3- Understanding how milk changes over a natural course of lactation
The aim of this study is to identify how human milk changes of a full term of lactation, of at least 2 years. Mothers who plan to feed for this length of time who are joining BECS will have the opportunity to express samples every 3 months until their baby is at least 2 years old.