Alecia-Jane Twigger named as UKRI Future Leaders Fellow

Dr Twigger is one of 75 of the most promising research leaders, announced today, who will benefit from £101 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to tackle major global issues and to commercialise their innovations in the UK.

She will use the funding to establish a research group focused on uncovering more about the biology behind how breastfeeding works and the impact this has on the future health and welfare of the mother and child.

Breastfeeding has been highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival”.

A major priority of the WHO is to increase the global rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months up to at least 50% by 2025.

However, many mothers worry about low milk production, a major driver for mothers switching to formula feeding.

Dr Twigger will establish state-of-the-art models of lactation with the aim of developing and trialling treatments to support mothers with low-milk production in partnership with breastfeeding advocates and clinical stakeholders.

She said: “The early postnatal period is often a time of celebration but also of new and unexpected challenges. I hope to support mothers with their breastfeeding journey by furthering research in the field of human lactation. I will work tirelessly to understand why some women cannot produce enough milk and what the origins of breastfeeding complications are.”

Dr Twigger, who is a member of our Precision Breast Cancer Institute, also works in close collaboration with the Hannon and IMAXT research groups at the CRUK Cambridge Institute on the Wellcome LEAP delta tissue project. The project aims to profile triple negative breast cancer and generate a computational model to predict patient treatment outcomes.

Dr Twigger is currently a Research Associate working with Professor Walid Khaled at the Department of Pharmacology.

The award offers a minimum of 4 years of full funding (with an optional 3 years’ further funding) to start her own research group at the Department of Pharmacology.

Professor Laura Itzhaki, Head of Department for the Department of Pharmacology, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Dr Twigger has been awarded this highly prestigious fellowship and in such an important area of human biology. It is very well deserved, and we look forward to hearing about the exciting discoveries she makes".

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: "UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships provide researchers and innovators with long-term support and training, giving them the freedom to explore adventurous new ideas, and to build dynamic careers that break down the boundaries between sectors and disciplines.

"The fellows announced today illustrate how this scheme empowers talented researchers and innovators to build the diverse and connected research and innovation system we need to shorten the distance between discovery and prosperity across the UK."