Nov. 28, 2011 Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College used
genetic methods to successfully repair cleft lips in mice
embryos specially engineered for the study of cleft lip and
cleft palate. The research breakthrough may show the way to
prevent or treat the conditions in humans. Cleft lip and cleft
palate are among the most common birth defects, with treatment
requiring multiple cycles of surgery, speech therapy and
orthodontics. To date, there have been very few pre-clinical
methods that allow researchers to study the molecular causes of
these malformations. In particular, there has been a lack of
animal models that accurately reflect the contribution of
multiple genes to these congenital deformities in humans. In a
report in a recent issue of the journal Developmental Cell, Dr.
Licia Selleri, associate professor of cell and developmental
biology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and her co-authors
report the first multigenic mouse model of cleft lip with or
without cleft palate. The researchers uncovere