The University of Western Australia

Dr Ching Tat Lai

Research Associate
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Contact details

Address

School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Western Australia (M310)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 3200

Email

ching-tat.lai@uwa.edu.au

Location

Room 242, Bayliss Building, Crawley campus

Biography

Dr Ching Tat Lai graduated from his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and molecular biology in 1996 at UWA, where he went on to complete his Post Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD in the Hartmann Human Lactation Laboratory.

Key research

Dr Lai's overall research is on milk production and the physiology of breast feeding, but he is currently researching expression regimes and milk production over time for pre-term babies. There are an increasing number of pre-term babies being born, and with medical advances a greater number of pre-term babies are able to survive, however the appropriate nutrition for these babies remains unknown. A pre-term baby has a very different nutritional environment to a fetus of the same age, which will still be receiving all its nutrition via the placenta. The effects of this change on pre-term babies are not yet known, but it is suspected that breast milk is extremely important for them. The exact composition of breastmilk varies between individual mothers and has an extremely complex composition which consists of a lot of biologically active compounds that help with growth and development.

Publications

Fetherston, C.M., Lai, C.T., Hartmann, P.E. Relationships between symptoms and changes in breast physiology during lactation mastitis, Breastfeeding Medicine, 1(3): pp136-45 (2006)

Fetherston, C.M., Lai, C.T., Mitoulas, L.R., Hartmann, P.E. Excretion of lactose in urine as a measure of increased permeability of the lactating breast during inflammation, Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica, 85(1): pp 20-25 (2006)

Mitoulas, L.R., Lai, C.T., Gurrin, L.C., Larsson, M.R., Hartmann, P.E. Efficacy of breast milk expression using an electric breast pump, JJournal of Human Lactation, 18(4): pp 344-52 (2002)

Mitoulas, L.R., Lai, C.T., Gurrin, L.C., Larsson, M.R., Hartmann, P.E. Effect of vacuum profile on breast milk expression using an electric breast pump, Journal of Human Lactation, 18(4): pp 353-60 (2002)

Hartmann, P.E., Lai, C.T. Initiation and establishment of lactation in women who have delivered pre-term infants: Changes in milk composition and the fortification of mother’s milk for pre-term infants, Journal of Japan Academy of Neonatal Nursing, 11: pp 8-22 (2003)

Funding received

Medela

Memberships

International Society for Human Lactation and Breastfeeding

Useful links

Human Lactation Research Group

Current projects

Collaborators

Professor Paula Meier from The University of Illinois, Chicago (Currently in Progress)

Research profile

Research profile and publications