Hovey Lab
Principal Investigator: Russell C Hovey
Institution: University of California, Davis (Davis, CA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
ABSTRACT Exclusive breastfeeding of infants is one of the most significant and generally-feasible practices for optimizing infant and maternal health, which also maximizes socio-economic benefits. That said, current breastfeeding targets, particularly in the United States, are not being met. While numerous factors can influence breastfeeding success, for many women there are physiological barriers that compromise their ability to initiate, or sustain, lactation. Ironically, however, the biological mechanisms underlying these limitations lack resolution, partly because of challenges in studying the normal human breast during lactation. To address this challenge, we will establish a full picture of the cellular architecture of the lactating breast in monkeys as a more authentic model for resolving the factors that dictate successful, and challenged, breastfeeding in humans. The synthesis of milk also relies on the unique and specialized synthetic capacity of the mammary epithelium, which is generally considered to be extremely homogeneous. However, recent evidence from mouse models indicates that different populations of mammary epithelial cells reside within the lactating gland, whe…
Active NIH Awards
- 1R21HD118459-01A1: The cellular biology of lactation (2026)
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