The Laboratory was established under a Letter of Intent for scientific cooperation between the Medical University of Warsaw and the Holy Family Specialist Hospital (SPZOZ) in Warsaw. The initiative was launched by Professor Marek Kuch, then Dean of the Second Faculty of Medicine, together with Professor Maria Katarzyna Borszewska-Kornacka and Dr. Beata Pawlus, Medical Consultant to the Regional Human Milk Bank in Warsaw, operating within the Hospital.
The agreement establishing the Laboratory was signed in 2015 by Professor Sławomir Majewski, who at that time served as the Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation at the Medical University of Warsaw, and Maria Dziura, Director of the Holy Family Hospital in Warsaw.
Signatories of the Letter of Intent establishing the Laboratory: (from left) Professor Maria Katarzyna Borszewska-Kornacka, Dr. Aleksandra Wesołowska, Professor Marek Kuch, Maria Dziura, MSc Eng., Dr. Paweł Kubik, and Dr. Beata Pawlus.
The Laboratory was established to advance scientific research in Poland on human milk, lactation physiology, and lactation disorders. Initially, it operated within the Department of Neonatology of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Since October 2019, the Laboratory has been an integral part of the Department of Medical Biology at the Medical University of Warsaw.
It is the third facility of its kind in the world, following the model of the Human Lactation Research Group at the University of Western Australia, and the second in Europe, after the University of Zurich. Since its inception, the Laboratory has been led by Professor Aleksandra Wesołowska, MD, PhD, and its interdisciplinary team includes biologists, dietitians, midwives, as well as medical students and doctoral candidates.
The Laboratory facilities are located within the Regional Human Milk Bank at the Holy Family Specialist Hospital in Warsaw. They are equipped with specialized infrastructure supporting the provision of donor human milk to infants and serve as a model human milk banking facility. Over the years, the Laboratory has carried out numerous research projects on lactation, infant nutrition, and breastfeeding promotion, funded by both public sources and institutional donors.
Research conducted by the Laboratory has strong translational potential and contributes to shaping neonatal nutrition practices in Poland. The team is also actively engaged in science communication and public outreach, organizing annual “Science Evenings” as part of the Warsaw Science Festival, promoting knowledge about the value of human milk and the importance of breastfeeding.
The Laboratory also hosts research and teaching staff from other universities for scientific internships, as well as study visits for laboratory personnel from service-oriented human milk banks across Poland and abroad.