The study shows breastfeeding beyond three months supports the gradual maturation of the microbiome in the infant’s digestive system and nasal cavity. Meanwhile, stopping breastfeeding earlier than three months disrupts the paced development of the microbiome and was linked to a higher risk of preschool asthma.

Dr. Megan Azad

The study is co-led by Dr. Meghan Azad, Canada Research Chair in Early Nutrition and the Developmental Origins of Disease and director of the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre.

“This research highlights the profound impact of breastfeeding on the infant microbiome and its essential role in supporting respiratory health,” said Azad. “Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing strategies to optimize infant health and prevent respiratory conditions from an early age,” added Azad, who is also a research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.

The study used data from mothers and children in the CHILD Cohort Study, a long-term research project that has been following the same 3,500 Canadian children at different stages of life from the womb well into adolescence.

“Healthy microbiome development is not only about having the ‘right microbes’ – they need to arrive in the right order, at the right time,” explained Kelsey Fehr, the lead analyst on the study. “Timing is everything, and breastmilk is the pacemaker.”

Kelsey Fehr – Co-lead study author

Breastfeeding duration remained a powerful determinant of a child’s microbial makeup over time. Co-lead and computational biologist Liat Shenhav, at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Institute for Systems Genetics and the School’s Department of Microbiology, used these microbial dynamics and data on milk components to train a machine-learning model that accurately predicted asthma years in advance. A statistical model was created to learn causal relationships, which showed that the primary way breastfeeding reduces asthma risk is through shaping the infant’s microbiome.

“The algorithms we developed provide valuable insights into microbial dynamics during an infant’s first year of life and how these microbes interacted with the infant,” said Shenhav. “These insights allowed us to move beyond identifying associations, enhancing our ability to make predictions and explore causal relationships.”

Other key findings:

• Human milk regulates microbial colonization: The study found that human milk serves as a “peacemaker,” indirectly protecting against asthma by regulating nasal and gut microbiome development during the first year of life. 
• Microbial targets for intervention: The bacterial species called Ruminococcus gnavus appeared much sooner in the guts of children who were weaned early from breast milk than in those children who were exclusively breastfed. 

The new research is another example of how the CHILD Cohort Study, one of the most informative studies of its kind in the world, is having an impact on the health and development of children. By following the participants prospectively as they grow, instead of retrospectively (looking back), CHILD researchers can learn more accurately about how different early-life exposures relate to health and disease outcomes.

“We continue to follow the CHILD babies (who are now becoming teenagers) to learn more about how these early-life experiences and microbiome perturbations impact health later in life,” added Azad. “Next, we want to understand which components of mothers’ milk are driving these associations. We are measuring thousands of compounds in breast milk from CHILD to answer this question.”

Besides Shenhav and Azad, other study co-senior investigators are Padmaja Subbarao at the University of Toronto and Michael Surrette at McMaster University in Hamilton.

October 1 to 7 is National Breastfeeding Week in Canada. Canadian Breastfeeding Week is observed during the 40th week of the year, typically in October. This timing reflects the first week of a baby’s life when breastfeeding often starts. The 10th month of the year, October, symbolically marks the beginning of this important journey for many families.

While self-propelled wheelchair technology has made great strides since its invention in the mid-17th century, there are still many ways in which the current technology falls short of making life truly accessible for wheelchair users.

Dr. Jacquie Ripat, professor of occupational therapy and vice-dean (academic affairs) of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, was recently named the first Endowed Chair in Technology for Assisted Living.

The chair, based in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, is supported by UM and the Health Sciences Centre Foundation.

Ripat’s central priority is generating research opportunities while testing the latest innovations in the ever-expanding field of technology-assisted living.

Recently, she has partnered with Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, a specialist in rehabilitation engineering design at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), to research innovative methods of expanding current wheelchair capabilities.

As the director of MAKE+, an applied research team at BCIT, Borisoff has spent more than 20 years working to improve wheelchairs and assistive devices. He and his team have previously been responsible for commercializing a lightweight wheelchair with an adjustable seat and backrest to suit various daily activities.

Together, Ripat and Borisoff hope to create products that allow manual wheelchairs to be modified to better suit different environments. For example, wheels could be changed to adjust to more difficult terrain.

“We hope we can make wheelchairs go places where wheelchairs can’t go right now,” says Borisoff, who represented Canada in wheelchair basketball at four Paralympics. “Those are places like the beach, rough terrain and snowy areas.” Wheelchairs might even be able to handle stairs and climb over obstacles, he says.

Thanks to recently announced funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) – Innovation Fund, the pair will have access to the most cutting-edge wheelchair technology. This will allow them to investigate wheelchairs’ performance and see how the chairs can be modified to meet different needs.

The funding will also allow them to expand their wheelchair performance test courses at BCIT and UM. Inspired by Manitoba’s often snowy environment, the test course at UM will specialize in testing wheelchairs in winter conditions.

Few wheelchairs on the market have been designed to navigate the hurdles posed by the Canadian climate, Ripat says.

“Paved roads and sidewalks often aren’t available,” she says, “and people are using wheelchairs in conditions that are very difficult to navigate. We’re really interested in working with some of our rural, remote and northern partners to see how we can improve wheelchair mobility.”

Ripat and Borisoff hope to put a Canadian spin on this technology. They plan to one day showcase their innovations on the international stage by competing in the Cybathlon, a competition for assistive technology development held in Switzerland.

“Congratulations to these researchers for receiving support through the CFI – Innovation Fund to advance this innovative research,” says UM Vice-President (Research and International) Dr. Mario Pinto. “I’m confident that by combining expertise from UM and BCIT, this work will lead to improved accessibility for Canadians and those abroad who experience mobility issues.”

On March 13, the Government of Canada and Province of Manitoba announced funding of $2.4 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and $2.4 million from Research Manitoba through the CFI – Innovation Fund Matching Program, totaling $4.8 million in strategic research infrastructure support.

“Research labs and facilities, like those being funded today, provide the foundation upon which Canada’s research leaders can make discoveries and drive innovation that will contribute to a better future for all of us,” said Roseann O’Reilly Runte, president and CEO of the CFI.

“We are proud to provide funding support for this innovative new multi-disciplinary research centre, showcasing Manitoba at the forefront of cutting-edge research to address global challenges,” said Jennifer Cleary, CEO of Research Manitoba.

It’s been reported that more than 20 per cent of premature deaths are linked to the detrimental effects of air pollution. By bringing leaders from different disciplines together, the AirSAFE research centre will provide evidence to develop new policies for improving air quality and human health. Researchers will be recruited to Manitoba to investigate why and how bad air is leading to diseases and limiting the effectiveness of therapies for these diseases.

“Congratulations to these researchers for receiving this investment to improve air quality policy and make the air we breathe safer for all,” said UM Vice-President (Research & International) Dr. Mario Pinto. “Building on the success of fundamental research at UM, the new AirSAFE facility will be a centre of excellence for interdisciplinary research that will be a leader in Canada and globally.”

This project is also made possible by various partners, including the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, the department of internal medicine in the Max Rady College of Medicine, the Price Faculty of Engineering, CHRIM, SAFE Work Manitoba, the University of British Columbia, the Lung Association – Manitoba, and the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) at UM.