We are delighted to share that Dr. Katie Chetta has received a K23 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her project, Lipid Degradation and Preterm Intestinal Outcomes.
The K23 is an NIH career development award for clinician-scientists doing patient-oriented research. For our lab, it means dedicated time and support to keep asking questions about how human milk nourishes the smallest babies in the NICU.
Why study how milk fats break down?
Fat is a major source of energy in human milk. As milk is expressed, stored, handled and digested, its fats are broken down into smaller pieces, such as fatty acids. This project looks closely at that breakdown, called lipid degradation, and asks how it may relate to intestinal health in premature infants.
Preterm babies are born with immature intestines, and intestinal problems such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remain a serious concern in neonatal intensive care. Understanding what happens to milk fats along the way is one small, important piece of learning how to feed these babies as well as possible.
Studying the beauty of the breakdown
This work builds on our lab’s focus on neonatal nutrition and human milk here at the Medical University of South Carolina and MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. We are grateful for the support behind this award, and we look forward to sharing updates as the work moves forward.
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