Rulan Jiang

Rulan Jiang, Ph.D., is an Associate Project Scientist in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on pediatric nutrition, particularly the absorption and biological roles of bioactive components in human milk, such as lactoferrin and osteopontin. She employs cell and animal models to study mechanisms underlying their effects on brain and intestinal development, immune function, and health outcomes associated with lactation stage variations.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Nutritional Biology, University of California, Davis

Research Interests:

• Mechanisms of milk-derived bioactive component absorption
• Dynamic changes in human milk constituents during lactation
• Relationships between milk bioactives and infant health outcomes
• Antiviral and immunomodulatory functions of lactoferrin
• Role of osteopontin in neurodevelopment and intestinal morphology

Recent Research Directions: Her work emphasizes translational studies linking milk composition to infant development, including longitudinal cohort analyses of lactoferrin dynamics and in vitro assessments of bioactives against pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. Recent studies also explore recombinant protein production systems for bioactive compounds and their functional equivalence to native milk-derived forms.

Collaborations: Dr. Jiang collaborates extensively with researchers in molecular biology, food science, and pediatrics, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to advance understanding of milk's role in health.