Mutations in a gene known as interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) that cause cleft lip and palate also are implicated in neural tube defects such as spina bifida, suggests research by an international study team published online Jan. 25, 2019, in Human Molecular Genetics. In the first weeks of fetal development the neural plate curves, […]
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Watching an embryo’s neural tube close
In those precious weeks before a woman even realizes she’s pregnant, an embryo will have already developed a neural tube, a hollow structure made of cells which will eventually become the brain and spinal cord. Now, with $3.2 million from the National Institutes of Health, UH professor of biomedical engineering Kirill Larin will tackle the […]