Meet Armenia’s Pioneer in Breast Milk Science!

Lusine Danielyan is making history in Armenia as the first scientist to dive deep into studying maternal breast milk, determined to discover beneficial bacteria that could transform nutrition for both children and adults.

A practicing gastroenterologist with a successful career, Lusine felt an unstoppable curiosity spark 13 years ago during a lecture on human microbiota. “The professor said mother’s milk is sterile, but I thought - how can that be, if it comes from a living body? That question drove me to start researching,” Lusine recalls. Soon, she found herself approaching new mothers in hospitals, asking for samples of their first breast milk to begin her groundbreaking studies.

In 2023, after seven years of groundwork, Lusine won her first FAR’s Yervant Terzian Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF) grant to study the biodiversity of lactic acid bacteria in the Armenian mothers’ milk. In 2025, she secured her second ANSEF grant - Dr. Aram Chobanyan special award, this time focusing on how newly discovered strains could improve the fermentation of plant-based milks, an exciting alternative for people with dairy allergies.

Her research holds significant promise for infant health, especially for babies who are not breastfed. Probiotics derived from breast milk could one day enrich infant formulas, supporting immunity and gut health.

“ANSEF changed everything,” says Lusine, the Head of the Lactic Acid Bacteria Research Sector at the Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” of the NAS RA. “I finally had funds for equipment and materials, and could even send bacterial strains abroad for identification. It’s crucial that Armenian scientists in the Diaspora support local researchers. For me, it’s a matter of pride.”

Beyond the lab, Lusine is passionate about inspiring the next generation. For the second year in a row, she’s created biology questionnaires for FAR’s STEM Olympiads in Tavush and Syunik and has trained local biology teachers on using new lab equipment provided by FAR.

“I live by science,” she says. “It’s become the meaning of my life. Every new research result feels like my child.”

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