Alecia-Jane Twigger

Cambridge Lactation Lab: Modelling human lactation to support long-term health

The early days of life sets the scene for an individual's long-term health. Human milk provides the best source of nutritional, developmental and immune support for the infant. Therefore it is unsurprising that breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organisation for the first 12 months of an infant's life. Despite the clear importance of human lactation, it remains a greatly understudied area. Supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, Dr Alecia-Jane Twigger leads the Cambridge Lactation Lab to develop innovative lab-grown and computational models of human lactation to study milk production.

We collect data on human milk samples in the CAMB MOM study to enhance our laboratory-based models of human lactation. Furthermore, using computational models, we will provide greater insights into the influence of genetics, ancestry, and metabolic predispositions on milk synthesis and secretion.

Working with cutting-edge scientific tools, our mission is to understand how human lactation works. We aim to identify strategies to improve breastfeeding, particularly in women with low supply, to enhance the long-term health outcomes of women and children.
 

Research objectives:

Research objectives are to answer the following questions:

•    What are the biosynthesis pathways involved in the synthesis and secretion of human milk?
•    What factors are necessary to render human milk organoids to produce milk?
•    Is there lactocyte cell specification to make different components of milk?
•    What is the molecular basis of low milk production?
•    What key factors influence a mammary cell to develop normally (i.e. produce milk) compared to abnormally (i.e. breast cancer).

Key publications:

Original research articles

“Transcriptional changes in the mammary gland during lactation revealed by single cell sequencing of cells from human milk” Twigger, A.J. Engelbrecht, L. K. Bach, K. Schultz-Pernice, I. Pensa, S. Stenning, J.P. Petricca, S. Scheel, C. H.* Khaled, W. T.* NatComms, 2022

“Human breast tissue dissociation induces compositional and transcriptional bias as detected by flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing” Twigger, A.J.* Engelbrecht, L. K.* Ganz, H. M. Gabka, C. Khaled, W. T. Scheel, C. H. bioRxiv, 2020

“Morphological analysis of human milk membrane enclosed structures reveals binucleated cells and cell-like milk fat globules” Schultz-Pernice, I. Meixner, L. K. Petricca, S. Scheel, C. H.* Twigger, A. J.* J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia, 2020

“Expression of granulisyn, perforin and granzymes in human milk over lactation and in the case of maternal infection” Twigger, A.J*., Küffer, G.K., Geddes*, D.T., Filgueria, L. Nutrients, 2018

“Gene expression in breastmilk cells is associated with maternal and infant characteristics” Twigger, A.J. Hepworth, A.R. Tat-Lai, C. Chetwynd, E. Stuebe, A. M. Blancafort, P. Hartmann, P.E. Geddes, D.T. Kakulas, F. Sci. Rep., 2015

“Breastmilk cell and fat contents respond similarly to removal of breastmilk by the infant” Hassiotou, F. Hepworth, A. R. Williams, T. M. Twigger, A. J. Perrella, S. Lai, C. T. Filgueira, L. Geddes, D. T. Hartmann, P. E. PloS one, 2013

“Breastmilk is a novel source of stem cells with multi-lineage differentiation potential” Hassiotou, F. Beltran, A. Chetwynd, E. Stuebe, A. Twigger, A. Metzger, P. Trengove, N. Tat Lai, C. Filguiera, L. Blancafort, P. & Hartmann, P. Stem Cells, 2012

Scientific publications: Review article

“25 years of research in human lactation: from discovery to translation” Geddes D. T. Gridneva, Z. Perrella, S. L. Mitoulas, L. R. Kent, J.C. Stinson, L.F. Tat Lai, C. Sakalidis, V. Twigger, A. J. Hartmann, P. E. Nutrients, 2021

“Mammary gland development from a single cell ‘omics view” Twigger, A.J. Khaled, W. T. Semin. Cell Biol., 2021

“Advances in stem cells and regenerative medicine: single-cell dynamics, new models and translational perspectives” Twigger, A.J. Scheel, C. H. Development, 2017

“Cells in human milk-what do they tell us” Twigger, A.J. Hartmann, P.E. Australian Biochemist, 2017

“Pluripotency genes and their function in the normal and aberrant breast and brain” Seymour, T. Twigger, A.J. Kakulas, F. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2015

“From breast milk to brains: The potential of stem cells in human milk” Twigger, A. Hodgetts, S. Filgueira, L. Hartmann, P. & Hassiotou, F. 2013, J HUM LACT

Public outreach

News articles

The Naked Scientists podcast interviewed by Julia Ravey Human Milk Podcast (Listen now)

2022 BBC Look East (research feature): “Could breastmilk hold the key to understanding cancer?” by Richard Westcott

2020 Guardian, The Observer, Science: “Should mother's milk be produced in the lab?” written by Zoë Corbyn