Sarah Andres, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine
STEMPrep Program, co-director
Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute
Oregon Health & Science University

The Andres Lab is committed to defining novel mechanisms and nutrition-based therapeutics to treat or prevent intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Current projects

• Human milk extracellular vesicle cargo as modulators of intestinal barrier and immune function
  The Gerber Foundation
  NICHD R01 (co-I; PI: Scottoline)
  Past funding: Medical Research Foundation of Oregon and Collins Medical Trust
• Post-transcriptional regulation in neonatal intestinal development and inflammation
  NIDDK K01
  Pending NIDDK R03 (submitted)
• Roles for intestinal barrier function in cachexia and outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
  OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Quest Pilot Award (co-PI with Aaron Grossberg)

Adam Higgins, PhD

Professor
Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering
Oregon State University

Dr. Higgins work includes device design for UV treatment of human milk to inactivate pathogens.

Current projects

Can High Pressure Processing (HPP) and Ultraviolet-C Irradiation (UV-C) Treatment Preserve Donor Milk Bioactive Protein Structure and Function Better than Holder Pasteurization?

PIs: Dave Dallas, Adam Higgins (OSU), Joy Waite-Cusic (OSU)

Team members: Ningjian Liang, Hussein Mohamed, Abdul Wazed, Bum Jin Kim, Michael Pitino, Cameron Sugden

Funder: National Institutes of Health

Our long-term goal is to optimize feeding practices for preterm infants to improve their health outcomes. The objectives of this research are to identify the minimum high pressure processing and UV-C treatment conditions that achieve equivalent microbiological safety to Holder pasteurization while optimally preserving bioactive protein structure and function. The positive impact of this research will be guidance for donor milk processors on how to optimally process donor milk for feeding preterm infants and information for clinicians on how to evaluate available donor milk sources. Changes in milk processing to better preserve bioactive milk proteins could improve preterm infant health outcomes.

Emily Ho, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Nutrition
College of Health
Oregon State University

Director of the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI)

Dr. Ho's research focuses on understanding the interplay among food-based bioactives, the microbiome and cellular mechanisms in the susceptibility and/or progression of chronic diseases. 

Current projects

NIFA- 2020-67001-31214

Discovery of Biological Signatures for Cruciferous Vegetable Intake: Integration of the Broccoli- and Host-derived Metabolome and the Microbiome.

Almond Board of California

1. Almonds to improve gut health and decrease inflammation in metabolic syndrome: This clinical study investigators the impact of almond snacking on gut permeability, antioxidant status and inflammatory parameters in metabolic syndrome patients.
2. Almonds to improve metabolic syndrome health outcomes through improved microbiome, oxylipin and immune health profiles.  This clinical study investigators the impact of almond snacking on microbiome and oxylipin profiles in metabolic syndrome patients.

Walnut Commission of California

Walnuts to improve cognitive function in older adults. In this clinical study, we will determine the extent to which daily consumption of walnuts by older adults for 12 weeks influences cognitive function and whether improvements are associated with changes in the resident gut microbiota.

Allen Foundation

Hope Grows Here: Mentored Gardening and Nutrition for Cancer Survivors. This projects utilizes mentored gardening with master gardeners and nutrition educators to facilitate wellness behaviors in cancer survivors.

NIH-P30 ES30287

Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research – Deputy Director and Translational Research Support Core leader.

Jung Kwon, PhD

Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor, Food Science & Technology
College of Agricultural Sciences
Oregon State University

Dr. Jung Kwon studies nutritional, nutraceutical, and biological impacts of diverse dietary resources at cellular and physiological levels. Kwon lab’s research supports developing useful nutritional and biomedical applications for human health promotion and disease prevention including modulation of gut microbiome.

Current projects

• Investigating health impact of Pacific dulse supplementation in human subjects under Western diet - USDA

• Assess the effect of protein isolates from seafood processing by-products on metabolic health - FFAR

• Assessing the prebiotic function of Pacific dulse polysaccharides and its impact on the gut microbiome - Oregon Sea Grant

Ningjian Liang, PhD

Research Associate
Nutrition Program, College of Health
Oregon State University

Dr. Liang’s research has focused on identifying gut health-enhancing peptides in milk and intestinal samples from infants and adults and determining the effects of an array of processing methods on milk safety and bioactivity.

Current projects

• Survival of bioactive milk protein across digestion in preterm infants fed with fresh human milk plus bovine milk fortifier, August 2022 – January 2023, Bobbie Infant Formula (co-PI)
• Edible microalgae fermented to improve protein quality and digestibility, October 2020 – March 2021, Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator Innovation Development Fund (co-PI)
• Can high-pressure processing (HPP) and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) treatment preserve donor milk bioactive protein structure and function better than Holder pasteurization? July 2021 – June 2026, National Institutes of Health
• Determine the bioavailability and immunomodulatory activity of bovine milk protein hydrolysates, September 2022 – January 2023, Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd
• Determining the immunomodulatory activity of bovine milk protein hydrolysates in human immune and intestinal epithelial cells. January 2021– October 2022, Hilmar Ingredients.

Claudia Maier, PhD

Professor, Department of Chemistry

The Maier group uses mass spectrometry approaches to detect, identify and quantify natural chemicals, including phytochemicals, endogenous and microbial metabolites, in biological samples with the goal to investigate their modus operandi and impact on human health, successful aging and food safety.

Current projects

• Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Centers (BDSRC) on Botanicals Enhancing Neurological and Functional Resilience in Aging (BENFRA)
  Soumyanath, Amala (PI); Role: Lead, Botanical Research Core
  07/01/2021 - 06/30/2025
  NIH U19AT010829
• Computation-assisted discovery of bioactive minor cannabinoids from hemp NIH
  Stevens, Jan F. (PI); Role: Co-Investigator
  09/25/2023 - 31/08/2025
  R21AT012695
• Single Cell Proteomics
  Maier, Claudia (PI)
  01/01/2022 – 01/31/2025
  Hewlett Packard/Oregon State University Collaboration Grant
• Discovery and Biological Signatures of Microbiome-Derived Xanthohumol Metabolites and their Role in Ameliorating Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  Stevens, Jan (PI); Role: Co-Investigator.
  01/01/2019 - 12/31/2024
  NIH R01AT010271
• Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Quadrupole Time-of-flight System
  Maier, Claudia (PI)
  09/05/2023 - 09/04/2024
  NIH S10OD032323-A1

Brian Scottoline, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, School of Medicine
M.D./Ph.D. Program Committee, School of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University

Brian Scottoline, MD, PhD is a neonatologist-scientist in the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University, and is an affiliate scientist at the Oregon National Primate Center.  He was a trainee of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford University, where he received a PhD in Biochemistry and a MD. He completed his Pediatrics Residency at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and his Neonatology Fellowship in the Joint Program in Newborn Medicine at Harvard/Boston Children’s Hospital. Brian works with Dr. Dave Dallas at OSU and colleagues on projects related to what human milk becomes in the infant intestine, defining human milk-intestinal epithelial cell and milk-enteric immune system interactions, and methods of human milk processing. He is also interested in the potential of the human milk symbiont, Bifidobacterium longum ssp infantis, to prevent the devastating neonatal intestinal inflammatory disease, necrotizing enterocolitis.

Current projects

National Institutes of Health (R01HD109193)
Scottoline (PI)
Defining bioactivities of peptides released from human milk proteins in the preterm infant intestine.
 
National Institutes of Health (R01HD097367)
Scottoline (Co-I)
Effects of human milk handling practices on peptide release and bioactivity in the preterm infant intestine.
 
National Institutes of Health (R44 HD112243HD)
Scottoline (Co-I)
Home monitoring of metabolic disease.
 
Evolve Biosciences/Infinant Health. Scottoline (PI)
01/01/22-12/31/24
Defining the biochemistry of necrotizing enterocolitis risk reduction by Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis EVC001

Natalia Shulzhenko, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University

Dr. Shulzhenko's research interests focus on understanding the interactions between gut microorganisms (microbiota) and the immune system that drive chronic inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. To study these, she uses large-scale omics data obtained from animal models and clinical samples.

Current projects

Canine Cancer Alliance (PI) 03/15/2023-12/31/2026
Predicting response to anti-cancer EGFR vaccine using gut microbiome and blood transcriptome in dogs with cancer.

John C. Erkkila, M.D. Endowment for Health and Human Performance (Shulzhenko) 07/01/2022-06/30/2023
Probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri for improving human metabolic health

R21 AI157369-01 Bogunovic/Morgun (co-PIs), Shulzhenko (co-I) 03/31/2021-04/01/2023
Microbiota, Tertiary Lymphoid Structures and Chronic Inflammation in the Human Gut

Joy Waite-Cusic, PhD

Associate Professor of Food Safety Systems

The OSU Food Safety and Quality Systems Laboratory investigates microbiological challenges associated with dairy products from grass to glass.

Current projects

Alternative thermal treatments for sanitization of equipment presented in Appendix F of the PMO
Production and application of antilisterial byproducts of Bacillus spp. previously isolated from dairy products

Suppressing the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in Hispanic-style cheeses - evaluation of different interventions

Characterization and control of microbial gas production (“late-blowing”) in Gouda and Cheddar
Stability of sugars in cultured dairy products