Prolacta Bioscience® Appoints Dr. Victoria Niklas as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer

– New Executive Leadership Role Underscores Company’s Commitment
to Advancing the Science of Human Milk –

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Prolacta
Bioscience®
– the pioneer in human milk-based neonatal
nutritional products, announced today that renowned neonatologist
Victoria Niklas, M.D. will join the Company’s executive leadership team
as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer.

Dr. Niklas has nearly three decades of experience as a clinical
investigator and neonatologist integrating basic and translational
science in diseases afflicting newborns. She comes to Prolacta after
serving as Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Newborn
Services at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and a Professor in the
Department of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“We are honored to have such a prestigious expert lead the research and
development of our life-saving neonatal nutritional products,” commented
Scott Elster, President and CEO of Prolacta Bioscience. “Dr. Niklas has
dedicated her career to infant health and we’re confident that her
knowledge and leadership will enable Prolacta to continue breaking
barriers in advancing the science of human milk.”

Throughout her career, Dr. Niklas has been a leader in research on human
milk and its impact on protecting newborns from life-threatening
diseases, underscoring her commitment to the healing power of breast
milk. Her appointment elevates Prolacta’s authority in the field of
human milk science and points to the tremendous growth the company has
recently experienced as a result of the increased use of an exclusive
human milk diet as the standard of care in neonatal intensive care units
nationwide.

“Prolacta truly represents leadership in the field of human milk-based
nutrition and I’m excited to expand on the Company’s already robust
science, and initiate new research geared toward unveiling the full
potential of human milk in the neonatal intensive care unit and beyond,”
commented Dr. Niklas.

Multiple scientific studies support the health benefits of an exclusive
human milk diet for premature infants in the NICU, as opposed to cow
milk-based formula or nutritional supplements. A report published in
2014 in the journal Breastfeeding
Medicine
found an increase in the likelihood of developing
necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), NEC requiring surgery, sepsis, or
death, as the amount of cow milk-based protein fed to the infants in the
control group increased.i NEC is one of the leading causes of
mortality among preterm babies. When used as part of an exclusive human
milk diet, Prolacta’s Neonatal Nutritional Products are clinically provenii,iii to
improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare system costsiv
for critically ill, extremely premature infants in the NICU weighing
between 500 and 1,250 grams at birth, as compared to cow milk-based
nutrition or formula.

Dr. Niklas earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a
master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard
University. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Children’s
Hospital Los Angeles and a fellowship in perinatal and neonatal medicine
at UCLA. Dr. Niklas has more than 25 years of experience as a clinician
investigator and neonatologist integrating basic and translational
science in diseases afflicting the newborn. Her career has focused on
understanding the immune system in the susceptibility of the newborn to
infection and inflammation in the body’s largest mucosal surface, the
intestine. She is a recognized expert in mouse models of intestinal
immune T cell development and the pathogenesis of intestinal
inflammation, in diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, a
life-threatening intestinal disease of primarily premature infants.

About Prolacta Bioscience

Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is a privately-held life sciences company
dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk®. The
company pioneered the development of human milk-based Neonatal
Nutritional Products to meet the needs of critically ill, premature
infants in the NICU. Prolacta leads the industry in the quality and
safety of nutritional products made from breast milk and operates the
first and only pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing facility for the
processing of human breast milk. For more information please visit www.prolacta.com.

i Abrams S, et al., “Greater Mortality and Morbidity in
Extremely Preterm Infants Fed a Diet Containing Cow Milk Protein
Products.” Breastfeeding
Medicine. 2014;9(6):281-285

ii Sullivan S, et al.,
“An Exclusive Human Milk-Based Diet is Associated with a Lower Rate of
Necrotizing Enterocolitis than a Diet of Human Milk and Bovine
Milk-Based Products.” Journal
of Pediatrics. 2010;156(4):562-567

iii Cristofalo E,
et al., “Randomized Trial of Exclusive Human Milk versus Preterm Formula
Diets in Extremely Premature Infants.” Journal
of Pediatrics. 2013;163(6):1592-1595

iv Ganapathy V,
et al., “Costs of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Cost Effectiveness of
Exclusively Human Milk-Based Products in Feeding Extremely Premature
Infants.” Breastfeeding
Medicine. 2012;7(1):29-37

Contacts

Prolacta Bioscience
Loren Kosmont, 310-721-9444
Lkosmont@prolacta.com

Recibe gratis todas las noticias en tu correo

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias! Ya estás suscrito a nuestro newsletter

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain