Nivedithaa Divakara

Nivedithaa Divakara, PhD Student. Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding

Nivedithaa Divakara

PhD Student

nivedithaa.divakara@thekids.org.au

Nivedithaa is currently a doctoral candidate at The Kids and UWA's LRF-Centre for Immunology and Breastfeeding. Her research aims to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying various health challenges prevalent in infants, including allergies, infections, and nutritional deficiencies.

With a particular interest in fundamental science, she hopes to use her knowledge to prevent and treat high-risk infants using colostrum-inspired bioactive derivatives.

Proficient in a range of wet-lab techniques, she specialises in the quantitative analysis of immune bioactive components found in breast milk. Her current research focuses on the importance of early-life diet (colostrum) and its role in skin development.

Among other contributions, she has been involved in the SYMBA Randomised Control Trial, investigating the effects of prebiotic supplementation in pregnant and lactating mothers on childhood allergy outcomes. Within this initiative, her responsibilities included analysing the influence of prebiotics on the composition of breast milk. Additionally, she is skilled in using data analytics tools such as R and R-Studio for comprehensive data analysis.

Published research

Maternal diet during breastfeeding: Could it influence food allergy risk in children?

Human milk is rich in immuno-modulatory factors that have the potential to shape immune development and influence allergy risk in children. In this article, we describe how breast milk may contribute to making the infant less prone to developing allergies.

Published research Breastfeeding Vitamin D and Sunlight Allergy Maternal diet Immunology and Breast Feeding Maternal health

February 2025

Effect of maternal prebiotic supplementation on human milk immunological composition: Insights from the SYMBA study

Immunomodulatory proteins in human milk (HM) can shape infant immune development. However, strategies to modulate their levels are currently unknown. This study investigated whether maternal prebiotic supplementation alters the levels of immunomodulatory proteins in HM.

Published research Academic Biostatistics Breastfeeding Nutrition in Early Life ORIGINS Immune system Immunology and Breast Feeding Maternal health Global Disease Modelling

February 2025