I think it is vital for breastfeeding advocates to ask questions.  Asking
questions does not imply  that the questioner is trying to distort or give an
incorrect  picture of donor milk banking.  I applaud Nikki for asking the
questions.  I also applaud Donna More's willingness to spend the time to answer
Nikki's question regarding donor milk.  I have to say that I have a few of my own
questions to ask.

Donna, you state:
"We do not provide it (regarding milk for research) if the research is
related to developing a human milk substitute."

What policies/procedures are used to ensure that the researcher is not using
donor milk for developing a human milk substitute?  How does one control the
use of something which is no longer your property?

You do not give milk to researchers who are developing a human milk
substitute.  What about researchers who are patenting human milk components themselves?
 For example:  The "Administration of leptin" patent and patent application
uses the human milk component, called leptin.  They will not be using a
recombinant.  One of the inventors is Vicky Funanage of Wilmington, Delaware. She is
the director of research at the Nemours Foundation.  You are from the
Christiana Hospital in Delaware.  I believe that the Christiana Hospital is associated
with the Nemours Foundation.  You wouldn't happen to know if the milk that
Funnage and Kirwin are patenting on came from the Christiana hospital milk bank?

Human milk samples for Newburg's patents form the mid-90's came from the
Regional Milk Bank in Worcester, MA (no longer in existence) These patents were on
HMFG to be used to treat rotavirus therapeutically but also through foods for
infants and children and immunodeficient persons-specifically hiv/aids
patients.  So it seems to me that a researcher could get donor milk from HMBANA to
patent the real component.  There is no stipulation against this?

I  applaud the Austin Milk Bank for finally removing the Dannon sponsorship
off their website.  It certainly sent a mixed message, particularly when yogurt
companies are using human milk components genetically engineered for their
bifido factors.
Valerie W. McClain, breastfeeding advocate

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