Project Grant R01DE035481

Federal Grant Award Summary

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center received a $605,123 Project Grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121), awarded June 1, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2030. This research project investigates the regulation of palatal innervation and its relationship to cleft palate development and repair outcomes. The research addresses a significant clinical need, as 20-40% of children with surgically repaired cleft palate experience velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), a functional deficit that often persists despite secondary surgical interventions. The investigation focuses on understanding how neuronal guidance factors, particularly netrin 1 (NTN1)—a gene consistently associated with cleft palate in genome-wide association studies—regulate palatal nerve development and morphogenesis through tissue-specific transcription factors.

The project will generate fundamental scientific knowledge regarding the integration of palatal innervation with palate development and morphogenesis, with the ultimate goal of improving cleft palate treatment outcomes and VPI management. Research activities will include molecular and cellular investigations examining the spatiotemporal expression of guidance factors in developing palatal mesenchyme, mechanistic studies of transcription factor regulation, and potentially translational work to inform improved surgical techniques that preserve palatal nerve supply during palatoplasty. Findings from this research may establish the basis for clinical approaches to prevent innervation deficits and reduce VPI occurrence in cleft palate patients, addressing a clearly identified unmet medical need in pediatric craniofacial care.