Medolac® Laboratories, a public benefit corporation, based in the Pacific Northwest and leading innovator bringing to market the only commercially sterile, shelf-stable human milk, has announced the appointment of Donald Chace, Ph.D, M.S.F.S., FACB, to the newly-created role of Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, he will lead the company’s innovation efforts in the field of human milk nutrition, expediting the introduction of many new products for clinical and home use. “We are ecstatic that Dr. Chace has accepted a leading role in our innovation and clinical development team. His strong pedigree in newborn and pediatric research will be key as Medolac continues to introduce first-in-class and best-in-class innovative products meeting exacting specifications, unparalleled quality standards and benefiting from rigorous clinical science. As a result, more infants than ever before will benefit from Medolac innovations and the company’s effort to facilitate access to safe, adapted human milk nutrition,” said Elena Medo, Chairman and CEO of Medolac. “Joining Medolac and its mission to bring innovation in human milk nutrition to more infants, particularly those with special medical needs, represents a fantastic opportunity to expand clinical research and product innovation,” said Dr Chace. ​Dr. Chace brings with him a distinguished career as a leader in newborn metabolic disorder research. He was the former Laboratory Director of Pediatrix Analytical, in the Centers for Research, Education and Quality at Mednax Services and guest researcher in the Newborn Screening and Molecular Biology Branch of NIEHS at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He has published nearly 100 peer reviewed articles. Dr. Chace received his BS in Chemistry from Boston College, Master of Science degree in Forensic Science and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from The George Washington University.

This is the first clinical study reporting outcomes for preterm infants fed Co-op donor milk, the first commercially sterile, homogenized donor milk that can be stored at room temperature for up to three years. The findings are significant since an abundance of published data has reported consistently poor weight gain when preterm infants were fed donor milk from other sources. This study provides evidence that Medolac’s Co-op donor milk is a suitable option where mothers own milk is not available or in short supply. Mothers of hospitalized babies often experience low milk supply, especially during prolonged hospitalization. Many hospital neonatal units experience difficulty sourcing donor milk resulting in rationing that limits usage to only the smallest and most fragile infants. “We are pleased that clinical studies are now confirming what our hospital accounts have already discovered, that Medolac’s Co-op Donor Milk is exceptionally well tolerated and supports robust growth. Simply put, it’s a game changer in neonatal nutrition. With the rapid increase in demand for donor milk, many milk banks lack the ability to scale, something we built into our model from the start,” said Elena Medo, Medolac's Chairman and CEO. Summary findings were presented to participants at the NEO Conference, in Orlando Florida today and earlier this month at the Southern Regional Meeting of the American Federation for Medical Research. Because Medolac Laboratories is a Public Benefit Corporation with a social impact agenda, Co-Op donor milk is affordable and widely available through standard hospital supply channels.

Medolac® Laboratories, an Oregon-based human milk nutritionals start-up, today announced the launch of Donormilk.com, the first direct-to-consumer offering of human milk. Medolac’s Co-op Donor Milk human milk is commercially sterile, safe, tested, homogenized, and can be stored at room temperature making it easier for home use. In addition, Medolac human donor milk is less expensive and safer than donor milk bought from online classifieds and other milk banks where testing, safety and nutritional content cannot always be verified. This new product will make it possible for more babies to receive 100% human milk protein instead of bovine or soy protein formula. “The simple fact is that babies are healthier when they are fed human milk”Tweet thisMedolac is committed to the fundamental principle that all babies should have access to breast milk and that direct breastfeeding by mothers is best for infants wherever and whenever possible. “The simple fact is that babies are healthier when they are fed human milk,” said Elena Medo, chairman and CEO of Medolac Laboratories. “Our vision at Medolac was to create a way to make human donor milk that is as easy to use as formula available for use with infants who otherwise would likely not have access to the benefits of human milk. These include babies of surrogates and non-traditional families, mothers experiencing a temporary supply shortage as well as post-discharge infants who fail to thrive on formula. With the introduction of donormilk.com, parents of healthy babies, preterm babies and medically fragile babies have access to a safe human donor milk alternative for their infants.” Because the Medolac human donor milk has been through the Medolac process, it is safe, sterile, can be stored at room temperature for up to three years and is available in a ready-to-use format. Parents who would like to provide their infants with human milk can order by visiting Donormilk.com. Parents should plan to supply a note from the infant’s primary healthcare provider to ensure the baby is under the care of a medical professional. No prescription is required and a template is available for the note on the website.

n article by Elena Medo, the Chairman and CEO of Medolac Laboratories, a public benefit corporation (www.medolac.com) was recently published by the medical journal Neonatal Intensive Care ( Vol 28, No. 1 - Winter 2015) shedding light on the severely limited availability of human donor milk for preterm infants. When considering the lack of consistent product quality and safety standards for human donor milk, this may lead to unacceptable risks for immune compromised preterm infants that should be preventable. The article focuses attention on the rationing that is depriving preterm infants of human donor milk based solely on their gestational age and weight and arms hospital staff and risk managers with specific and essential questions to ask donor milk vendors in order to help ensure that human milk provided to preterm and immune compromised infants is safe. These safety qualifiers include raising awareness of the possibility of pathogens remaining in processed donor milk after Holder pasteurization, spores from b. cereus and confirmation of nutritional content. "Recent studies show that while donor milk can be lifesaving it must be collected, tested, processed and handled properly to ensure that fragile infants have access to the benefits of human milk without the risks associated with inadequate scrutiny", said Elena Medo. "The safety and quality identifiers in this journal article are a first step in arming hospitals with information that can help them make important decisions on donor milk that has the potential to save the lives of patients."

The Neonatal Intensive Care journal article can be accessed here