About one in ten infants within the US are born prematurely. And since they nonetheless have immature organs, they can’t course of giant quantities of milk. This requires that the milk be fortified, typically accomplished with cow's milk, in order that untimely infants can obtain nutrient-rich meals in small quantities. However when Beth Schinkel, co-founder and CEO of Mom's Milk Is Greatest, labored in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), she noticed firsthand the impact cow's milk had on untimely infants. Human breast milk is really useful for untimely infants.

“I cared for infants who have been extraordinarily untimely,” she mentioned in an interview. “They have been born sixteen weeks prematurely and sometimes grew to become very ailing when fed cow's milk formulation. My first profession was as a medical dietitian, I labored in diet and I knew lots about what we have been feeding infants. I didn't actually perceive why we have been giving them cow's milk fortifiers.”

She started interviewing NICUs throughout the nation and realized there was no higher choice. So she began growing one and ultimately launched Mom's Milk Is Greatest in 2014 with co-founder and CTO Elizabeth Nelson. Final month, judges chosen the Tyngsborough, Massachusetts-based firm because the winner of the buyer/employer monitor of MedCity Information' INVEST Pitch. Excellent match. A complete of 5 startups – all targeted on ladies's well being – participated within the competitors.

Mom's Milk Is Greatest has a medical machine that will increase the power to make use of breast milk or donor milk in comparison with different fortification processes. After the breast or donor milk has been expressed, the machine (which seems like a small carton) is positioned within the milk. The water is then sucked into the machine like a sponge and faraway from the milk. The milk that is still has greater vitamins and better bioactive substances.

“Every thing that’s actually good in regards to the milk stays on the skin. … We take among the water out of the milk in order that as an alternative of including issues to the milk that would doubtlessly make infants sick, we're going to provide them the best dietary content material potential to allow them to develop and thrive,” Schinkel mentioned . .

The identify Mom's Milk Is Greatest comes from the concept breast milk is the most suitable choice for untimely infants. Nonetheless, Schinkel and Nelson famous that there’s nonetheless room for alternate options in the case of full-term infants.

“For untimely infants, breast milk is finest and breast milk is life-saving,” says Schinkel. “We aren’t targeted on full-term infants in any respect. There’ll all the time be a necessity for alternate options for moms.”

The corporate plans to use for breakthrough standing with the Meals and Drug Administration. The FDA's Breakthrough Units Program offers sufferers and healthcare suppliers with “well timed entry to medical gadgets by accelerating improvement, evaluation, and evaluation for premarket approval, 510(ok) clearance, and advertising and marketing authorization De Novo,” in accordance with the company’s web site. Mom's Milk Is Greatest plans to promote its machine on to NICUs and is exploring partnerships with hospital methods, Schinkel mentioned.

The startup additionally plans to bear medical testing for its machine.

“As we undergo, develop and take a look at the product, we actually wish to guarantee that we see that it’s clinically related and evidence-based,” Nelson mentioned.

Mom's Milk Is Greatest has additionally obtained assist from buyers. It has greater than $2.5 million in grants, together with from the Nationwide Institutes of Well being. It additionally has $111,000 from family and friends.

Samir Batra, managing companion of Well being Innovation Pitch and one of many judges of the Pitch Excellent Contest, mentioned Mom's Milk Is Greatest was topped the winner due to “the medical validation of the group that sees the issue each day and the simplicity of the answer. ”