Dallas Lab

Dallas Lab

Unraveling the biology of human and animal milk

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We specialize in the following areas

bioactive milk peptides

Bioactive milk peptides

Identifying novel bioactive protein fragments—peptides—in human and bovine milk

Identifying which milk peptides are present across the digestive tract (infants and adults)

bioactive milk proteins

Bioactive milk proteins

Determining which milk proteins survive intact across digestion, enabling them to exert function throughout the gut

Improving protein preservation across milk processing

improving preterm infant health

Improving preterm infant health

Assessing digestive deficiencies in preterm infants

Improving processing of human milk to enhance bioactivity

improving adult health

Improving adult health

Assessing the survival of functional bovine milk proteins and peptides across adult digestion

Assessing the effect of bovine milk proteins and peptides on health (e.g., immune system, microbiome)

Improving processing of bovine milk components to enhance bioactivity

Our approach

Clinical studies

  • Collecting digestive fluids from infants and adults
  • Feeding studies

Digestion models

  • Static and dynamic simulated infant and adult digestion

Structural analysis

  • Peptidomics
  • proteomics
  • Glycopeptidomics
  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays

Functional assays

  • Immunomodulatory assays (e.g., macrophage cell culture)
  • Intestinal cell culture
  • Antimicrobial assays

Updates and Good news

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Recent publications

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2026

Jackson, C., Collado, M.C., Dallas, D.C., Insel, R.A., Macpherson, A.J., Palmer, D.J., Seppo, A., Verhasselt, V., Järvinen, K.M.  (2026)  An Old Story Back: Human Milk Antibodies' Protective Roles Against Allergy Development  Allergy  

2025

Rackerby, B., Kim, E., Bobe, G., Dallas, D.C., Park, S.H.  (2025)  Effects of whey protein isolate on the human gut microbiota and intestinal function in older adults  Journal of Dairy Science  
Sykora, R., Mark, C., Biondi Ryan, M., Barman, B., Pitino, M., Dallas, D.C.  (2025)  Effect of High-Pressure Processing Operating Parameters on Microbial Inactivation and Bioactive Protein Preservation in Bovine Milk: A Systematic Review  Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety  25
Partridge, C.L., Paullin, T., Kim, B., Dallas, D.C., Williams, J.E., McGuire, M.A., Kaur, H., McGuire, M.K.  (2025)  Detection of bovine milk–, but likely not soy–derived, peptides in human milk after maternal consumption of bovine milk and soy beverage: a randomized, cross-over, dietary intervention trial  Frontiers in Nutrition  12
Sykora, R., Barman, B., Mohamed, H.M., Lowder, A., Pavani, B., Pagel, J., Slaughter, A., Mosier, S., Barile, D., Waite-Cusic, J., Dallas, D.C.  (2025)  Optimization of single- and dual-cycle high pressure processing (HPP) to process bovine milk for microbial safety and protein quality  Journal of Dairy Science