Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Cleft
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Donate Join mailing list
Menu
  • About us
    • Our mission
    • Cleft lip and palate
    • Our team
      • Our Trustees
      • Research Steering Committee
      • International Steering Committee
  • Our work
    • Our research vision
    • Research projects
    • Overseas projects
      • Bangladesh
      • Egypt
      • Iraq
    • Digital Training
  • News and stories
    • The people we help
    • CLEFT news
    • Share your story
    • Newsletters
  • Support our work
    • Donate
    • Give to an appeal
    • Partnerships
    • Trusts and Foundations
    • Volunteer
  • Be a fundraiser
    • Take part in an event
      • Challenge events
      • Online events
      • Get involved
    • Our fundraisers
    • Create a fundraiser page
    • Fundraisers' stories
    • Shop & give
  • Shop
  • Team notes
    • Trustees' Meetings
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Our research vision
  1. Our work
  2. Our research vision

Our research vision

Our approach

CLEFT’s mission is to bridge the gap in cleft care and knowledge. Our research is already improving the treatment and outcomes for children born with a cleft, so that they can lead happy and fulfilling lives. We do this by drawing on some of the world’s best clinicians in cleft care, in particular through our ongoing relationship with the North Thames Cleft Centre, created by Great Ormond Street Hospital and the St Andrew’s Centre, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

Our research strategy focuses on three key areas:

1. To better understand the likely causes of clefts;

2. To find new and kinder treatments and surgery to repair the cleft;

3. To improve the speech of children who have had cleft palate repairs.

1. Better understanding the likely causes of clefts

We are ever closer to identifying the genes responsible for congenital abnormalities. One piece of the jigsaw fell into place after CLEFT funded researchers carried out a five-year study on a rare disorder of palate development in a family in Egypt. They realised that the family history could be highly significant and undertook a project to examine the family’s genes. They have since been able to identify the cause as a variant in a gene called FOXF2.

2. Finding new and kinder treatments and surgery to repair the cleft

Our research into the significance of muscle abnormalities in the cleft soft palate has led to advances in the techniques used to repair them. These techniques have been found to improve speech considerably – potentially better than in any other settings worldwide.

We also funded a study to understand the long-term outcomes in patients treated by a single surgeon. This showed that new surgical protocols for a baby’s first operation could reduce the need for further intrusive surgical interventions as the child grows. The results are also quicker, with a marked improvement in speech, so that the child requires less long-term therapy. Overall, the study showed that this is a kinder and more efficient approach, now increasingly used around the world.

3. Improving the speech of children who have had cleft palate repairs

We want children to be able to live a normal life and not be impaired by a cleft palate. Speech and language abnormalities are among the most challenging problems faced by patients who have had cleft palate repair. About two thirds of children born with a cleft palate require speech therapy in combination with surgery. Even in the UK, therapy provision in the community is inconsistent and it can be very difficult to get enough or appropriate ‘cleft specific’ therapy.

CLEFT is supporting a new method of speech therapy, called Parent Led Articulation Therapy (PLAT). We are part-funding a randomised controlled trial with Great Ormond Street Hospital, London and Temple Street Hospital, Dublin, to find out whether it is possible to train parents to work on their child’s speech difficulties, supported by a team of therapists and technology. The potential of this project could transform the way speech therapy is provided, as well as having significant implications for overseas countries where little or no speech therapy support is available.

 

We can and must do more

A cleft lip and/or palate continues to be the most common birth defect. Children’s physical and emotional well-being continues to be at risk and the cost to the NHS for a child’s lifetime care is considerable.

Despite our successes, there is still much uncertainty about the best techniques for surgical treatment of clefts and the results are far from perfect. There are also limited research funds available from the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry. Cleft research has not been a priority because it is not seen as life threatening. It is, however, critical to quality of life, so charitable support has been and remains crucial to progressing research to help cleft patients.

By funding research, we are seeking to provide answers to currently unanswered questions, such as:

  • Can we identify which genes have a role in clefts?
  • Why do so many cleft palate operations fail to produce a fully functional palate?
  • Does the technique of repair of the muscles reduce hearing loss in children with clefts?
  • Why do so many cleft palate operations fail to produce normal speech?
  • What are the dental anomalies in different types of clefts and how can they best be treated?

Further insights and better understanding will be critical if surgeons, speech therapists and other medical professionals are to provide improved, long-term treatment and care for all people born with clefts.

We are now reaching out to our supporters and beyond to fund further research to change these children’s lives – now and long into the future.

Click here to find out more about some of the research CLEFT has funded.

Be part of our research community by donating now

Published: 23rd April, 2020

Updated: 17th February, 2021

Author: Melanie Baldwin

Related topics:
  • Research projects
Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Edition 102

    Edition 102

    25th February 2021

  • Edition 101

    Edition 101

    11th February 2021

  • Bruce Richard

    Consultant Cleft Surgeon (retired)

  • Running the Virtual Royal Parks Half Marathon for CLEFT

    Running the Virtual Royal Parks Half Marathon for CLEFT

    I am raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.

Related

  • VPI Paper in Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal

    VPI Paper in Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal

    The American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal reviewed literature on palate re-repair for the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and cited the Sommerlad Protocol and Palate Repair technique of VPI as being very beneficial to patients with an 84% success rate.

  • New paper published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

    New paper published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

    Research that CLEFT funded shows how a pioneering surgical technique results in a very low rate of secondary speech surgery and very good speech outcomes in children aged 5 years of age, with less need for speech therapy.

  • Speech@Home now launched!

    [email protected] now launched!

    We are delighted that the website [email protected] is now available.

  • Pioneering use of the operating microscope

    Pioneering use of the operating microscope

    Early on in his career as plastic surgeon, CLEFT Chairman Mr Brian Sommerlad realised that operating techniques could be improved upon and in 1993, he started to use a microscope for surgery.

  • Soft palate muscles research

    Soft palate muscles research

    A project to better understand the way the muscles of the soft palate work to see if improvements can be made to surgical techniques and reduce the need for further operations and speech therapy.

  • The genetics of cleft lip and palate

    The genetics of cleft lip and palate

    Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs.

  • TBX22 Mouse Model

    TBX22 Mouse Model

    CLEFT has funded research into the investigation of a gene called the TBX22 that regulates important development events during normal palate function, in order to find new treatments.

  • MRI Speech Assessment

    MRI Speech Assessment

    This important research looked at using MRI to assess whether further surgery could improve speech for people with repaired clefts.

  • P.L.A.T. project

    P.L.A.T. project

    The Parent Led Articulation Therapy (P.L.A.T) project has been looking at improving speech outcomes for children by enabling parents to help their children with cleft palate speech difficulties.

  • FOXF2 gene discovery

    FOXF2 gene discovery

    A genetic defect has been identified in a family from Egypt with a type of palate abnormality and speech disorder apparently not previously described. The FOXF2 research is one of the many projects currently funded by CLEFT, paid for with money raised by our donors and fundraisers.

Most read

  • New paper published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

    New paper published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

    Research that CLEFT funded shows how a pioneering surgical technique results in a very low rate of secondary speech surgery and very good speech outcomes in children aged 5 years of age, with less need for speech therapy.

  • Accessibility

  • A trip to the roof of the world

    A trip to the roof of the world

    A group of 12 adventurers, aged between 12 and 58 years old, left London in October 2019 for the challenge of a lifetime – to climb Mount Kilimajaro in Tanzania. Everyone had spent a year planning, training and fundraising for it and were ready for the challenges that lay ahead. CLEFT trustee and Kilimanjaro climber, Tracy Morris, tells us her story....

  • The Big Give Christmas Challenge Update

    The Big Give Christmas Challenge Update

    CLEFT took part in this year's Big Give Christmas Challenge for the first time. Thanks to our generous donors, we smashed our fundraising target.

  • Donate

    Donate

    You can donate or sign up to a regular donation to help us plan for the future.

  • Bath Bomb Making Workshop - ONLINE EVENT

    Bath Bomb Making Workshop - ONLINE EVENT

    Making bath bombs is an exciting process! This new workshop will take you through the process of making bath bombs and bath crystals. Run by Eden Soap School, this promises to be a unique and fun experience.

  • Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

    Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

    We are working with Bangladeshi specialists at the new Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery to create a sustainable centre to treat children with cleft lip and palate.

  • Privacy Policy

    Privacy Policy

    PRIVACY POLICY

  • Bangladesh cleft clinic seeing patients again

    Bangladesh cleft clinic seeing patients again

    The pandemic has been hard on everyone, especially so when patients are unable to be seen. With Covid levels low enough, the cleft team in Bangladesh has been able to resume clinic.

  • Soft palate muscles research

    Soft palate muscles research

    A project to better understand the way the muscles of the soft palate work to see if improvements can be made to surgical techniques and reduce the need for further operations and speech therapy.

Pay for new parts for the anaesthetic machine in Dhaka

Pay for new parts for the anaesthetic machine in Dhaka

The anaesthetic machine that was supplied by CLEFT to the hospital in Dhaka needs new parts. Donate now and help pay for the new parts to get this vital piece of equipment working again. Read more

Donate Fundraise

Published: 13th October, 2020

Updated: 17th November, 2020

Author: Melanie Baldwin

Related topics:
  • Donate

Sign up to our mailing list

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter your email address Please enter a valid email address (e.g. [email protected])

Find us

Registered Office
10a Warren Estate
Lordship Road
Writtle
Chelmsford
CM1 3WT

+44 (0) 1245 421901
[email protected]

Links

  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube

Registered as Charity number 1119630