Research Could Lead To New Treatments For Birth Defects

Pioneering new research into cleft lip and palate could open the door to babies with certain craniofacial disorders being successfully treated in the womb.

University of Manchester researchers have uncovered the causes behind two genetic conditions that lead to facial anomalies including clefts, where the lip and often the roof of the mouth, or palate, fail to form properly.

Working with colleagues at the University of Iowa, Manchester husband and wife team Mike and Jill Dixon together with researcher Rebecca Richardson, have identified the role of a gene called IRF6.

"We had previously shown that a mutation in the IRF6 gene causes Van der Woude syndrome