Not just for babies: Biotech startup taps breast milk for COVID treatment that keeps up as virus mutates

10/05/2021

'Even now mother’s milk would be reflective of the most prevalent current strains,' says Lactiga co-founder Viraj Mane.

By Marjo Johne

In the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and its evolving variants, mother may know best. That’s what biotechnology startup Lactiga–which has offices in Toronto and New York, is counting on as it develops a treatment for patients with COVID-19 using milk from lactating mothers who have been vaccinated against COVID or have recovered from the coronavirus.

The goal, said Lactiga co-founder Viraj Mane, is to produce a therapeutic that can stay up-to-date as the virus mutates into variants likely unique to particular geographic regions.

Lactiga’s COVID-19 treatment, which is expected to enter Phase 1 clinical trials next year, will be an airway product that will be administered with a nebulizer to reduce the viral load in the respiratory tract, said Mane.