Azeez Butali, the Gilbert E. Lilly Professor of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R56 award titled “Bench to the Community: Multi-Omics Approach to Discovery and Community-led Implementation Science”.

Orofacial clefts are the most common birth defects affecting the head and neck region and pose significant challenges for affected children and their families. These challenges extend beyond medical care and can include financial strain, barriers to education, and psychological and cultural impacts. In some settings, stigma associated with clefts can lead to profound social consequences, including isolation and lack of support for families.

This project is part of Butali’s longstanding NIH-funded research program that not only helps us to better understand orofacial clefts but also proposes real-world community-centered solutions aimed at improving the lives of those with orofacial clefts and their families.

For this project, the primary focus is on improving our understanding of why orofacial clefts occur. To answer this, Azeez Butali and his team are taking a layered approach that starts with discovery and moves toward deeper understanding.

First, the researchers are searching for clues in DNA. By studying families affected by orofacial clefts, they are identifying genetic changes that may increase risk. Some of these changes occur directly within genes, while others lie in regions that control how and when those genes are activated. By combining multiple types of biological data, often referred to as a multi-omics approach, the team can sift through thousands of possibilities and focus on the changes most likely to play a meaningful role.

But finding these genetic signals is only part of the story.

The next step is to understand what those changes actually do. The team will examine how the most important genetic variants affect early development, particularly in the tissues that form the face.

Together, these efforts bring scientists closer to a more complete picture of orofacial clefts, one that connects genes, biology, and lived outcomes. That knowledge is essential for improving how these conditions are identified, understood, and ultimately addressed in the clinic and the community.

Azeez Butali is the principal investigator for the project and he is internationally recognized for his expertise in craniofacial genetics and epidemiology. His work spans molecular discovery, global collaborations, and community-engaged research focused on improving outcomes for populations historically underrepresented in genetic studies. His coinvestigators on this project are Eric Van Otterloo and Erliang Zeng.

Research reported in this publication is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 2 R56 DE028300-06. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.