Synthesis of human milk sugar ‘opens new possibilities’

US researchers have successfully synthesised a sugar found in human milk that could open up a number of beneficial research pathways.

A University of Illinois microbial engineer has been able to synthesise the human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) known as 2FL using a strain of E. coli engineered for that purpose.

This allows this HMO – which was previously prohibitively expensive to procure – to be produced in quantities large enough to carry out studies involving newborn piglets, a useful research model for human infants.

It is thought that 2FL is able to protect babies against pathogens, meaning it could be used in applications such as infant formula production, pharmaceutical development and food safety.

Moreover, the technique developed can now be used to synthesise and study the hundreds of other HMOs found in human milk.

The NHS recommends breastfeeding due to its many health benefits for babies, including reducing the risk of chest and ear infections, constipation, eczema and obesity.