Genetic and Clinical Studies of Congenital Anomaly Syndromes

Study start date: August 18, 1994

INCLUSION CRITERIA: Subjects with clinical manifestations of a congenital anomaly or craniofacial syndrome, or a single congenital anomaly that is also seen as part of a congenital anomaly syndrome will be considered eligible for participation in this protocol. Blood will also be requested on unaffected relatives that could be informative for linkage studies or for determining co-segregation of mutations within families. Subjects of either gender and all ethnic and racial groups will be accepted. Prenatal specimens (amniocentesis or CVS) will be accepted if they are previously acquired for clinically indicated reasons. Cord blood or placenta specimens may be accepted if they (or a part of them) are not needed for clinical purposes. Specimens from patients collected at outside institutions may be accepted into the study if they were collected under an IRB-approved protocol at an MPA or FWA institution. Coded specimens (specimens linked to identifiers but without personal identifiers attached to the sample) may be acquired from other NIH investigators, analyzed, and returned as research results to that investigator. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients with typical GCPS or PHS who have demonstrated GLI3 mutations may be excluded from this study. Patients with phenotypes and disorders with a high risk/benefit ratio such as late-onset, neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and cancer-predisposition disorders will be excluded from participation. Similarly, patients who are medically fragile or unable to tolerate travel to the NIH CC will not routinely be eligible for participation. Probands who are adults and decisionally-impaired are ineligible if they do not have a legal guardian who has authority to sign a consent form on their behalf.