Project description:The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) is a trans-NIH effort initiated in response to the 2014 Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act and supported by the NIH Common Fund. This program focuses on gene discovery in pediatric cancers and structural birth defects and the development of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Data Resource (Kids First Data Resource).
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</div><div>All of the WGS and phenotypic data from this study are accessible through dbGaP and kidsfirstdrc.org, where other Kids First datasets can also be accessed.
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</div><div>Craniofacial microsomia (CFM), also termed hemifacial microsomia or oculo-auricular-vertebral spectrum, is the third most common congenital craniofacial condition. CFM comprises a variable phenotype and the most common features include malformations of the ear (i.e. microtia) and lower jaw (i.e. mandibular hypoplasia) on one or both sides. Microtia in the absence of other anomalies is believed to represent the mildest form of CFM. The cause of CFM is unknown for most affected individuals. We have established a cohort through previous studies and collected DNA to identify the genetic contributions to CFM, which could facilitate diagnosis, tailored treatments and guide prevention strategies. Successful completion of this proposal will advance knowledge in the genetic architecture of susceptibility to CFM and will provide insight about the biological mechanisms underlying craniofacial development. The results from this study have the potential to further research on the etiology of other craniofacial conditions, and the pathogenesis of typical and atypical craniofacial development.
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Project description:Craniofacial microsomia encapsulates congenital anomalies of the external and middle ear, maxilla, mandible, facial and trigeminal nerves, and surrounding soft tissues on the affected side. The recruitment of craniofacial microsomia samples is a huge problem to bind the investigation of its genetic basis because of the lower prevalence rate (ranging between 1 and 4 per 10,000 births) and consultation rate. Here, we performed the first genome-wide associations study on craniofacial microsomia and identified many significant loci associated with craniofacial microsomia.