Gene linked to cleft lip and palate identified
An international team of researchers has identified a gene variant that is a major contributor to oral clefts and triples the risk of recurrence in affected families, it was reported today in The New England Journal of Medicine. “Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects in the United States,” says Nancy S. Green, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes, which helped fund the study.
