Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine have received an $11.8 million, five-year research grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to investigate the genetic roots of cleft lip and cleft palate.
The grant will also be used to expand the research to include populations in Colombia, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Pennsylvania, the university said in a press release.
Patients with orofacial clefts (OFCs) usually require surgical, nutritional, dental, speech, and behavioral treatments for many years, said Mary Marazita, PhD, professor and vice chair of the department of oral biology, in the release. These clefts occur in one of 700 live births worldwide, according to Marazita.
"We hope to build on the progress we've made in our previous studies by identifying genetic susceptibility not only for the overt defects, but also for more subtle features such as changes in facial structure that we have found in relatives of participants with OFCs," she said.
