LRF OCEHL Awarded Endowment Funding
A £9.12 million gift from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation has endowed an Oxford University research centre investigating the role of hormones in human milk production.
L-R: Reto Larsson, Larsson Family; Dr Katharina Lichtner, Managing Director, Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation; Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford; Professor Krina Zondervan, Head of Department, Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford; Michael Larsson, Founding and Honorary President; Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation © University of Oxford / Cyrus Mower.
Human milk has vital nutritional and health benefits for babies, however very little is currently known about how hormones regulate its production and influence maternal-infant bonding. The Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation (LRF OCEHL) is the only research centre in the United Kingdom focused on addressing this critical topic.
The centre, which is led by Prof. Fadil Hannan and embedded within the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, aims to solve hormone-related breastfeeding challenges and improve the health of mothers and children globally. ‘Understanding the full range of hormones that influence lactation is crucial to helping mothers who are struggling to breastfeed’ said Professor Hannan.
The Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Oxford Centre for the Endocrinology of Human Lactation was established in 2018 with an initial donation of £2.9 million from the foundation. The new gift will now ensure the long-term sustainability of the centre by endowing a chair in the endocrinology of human lactation, as well as an associated research and collaboration fund.
The fund will be used to support new projects within the field, with a particular focus on generating pilot data from innovative ideas. It is hoped that this approach will enable the centre to attract further research grants and philanthropic support, allowing it to conduct high-quality research over a long horizon.
OCEHL is based in the University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health.
Led by Prof. Fadil Hannan, OCEHL Director, the team comprises: a lead research practitioner, clinical research assistants, postdoctoral scientists, research students and a project manager.