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Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Ngangkiku Ngartuku Kukuwardli
Acknowledgement
The Women's and Children's Hospital is located on the traditional lands for the Kaurna people, and we respect their spiritual relationship with their Country. We also acknowledge that the Kaurna people are the custodians of the Adelaide region, and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living Kaurna people today.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.

Cleft and Craniofacial Research

Cleft and Craniofacial SA is an internationally recognised leader in both clinical and scientific research.

Cleft and Craniofacial SA is an internationally recognised leader in both clinical and scientific research.

All research is focussed on improving the outcomes for our patients, with clinical research having a particular focus on appearance and improvements in overall patient functions including assessments of psychology, speech and social integration.

The scientific research involves collaborations with experts in a range of fields at Universities in South Australia, nationally and internationally. These collaborations are focussed on improving the genetic and molecular biology associated with craniofacial development and its anomalies, with an overall view to reducing the number and severity of surgical interventions for patients.

Director of Research – Professor Peter Anderson

Ongoing Research Collaborations

SAHMRI: Stem-cell biology.

University of Adelaide: Dental School, Psychology, Joanna Briggs Institute, Adelaide Microscopy.

University of South Australia: Neurovascular Research and Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration.

La Trobe University, Melbourne: Anatomy and Physiology.

Research Funding

Most research is funded by successful competitive grants applications to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Australian Dental Research Foundation, Channel 7 Children's Foundation, Women's & Children's Hospital Foundation, BioInnovation SA, University of Adelaide, La Trobe University and CRC Diagnostics. Some funding is also available from departmental resources.

Current NHMRC grants

Cleft and Craniofacial SA with its key collaborators has been awarded prestigious NHMRC funding after rigorous scientific assessment.

SAHMRI/University of Adelaide (with Prof S Gronthos)

  • “Histone methylase KDM6A is a novel target for the treatment of Craniosynostosis in children”\
  • “Tyrosine kinase receptor c-ros-oncogene 1 mediates Twist-1 halpoinsufficency induced Craniosynostosis in children: A novel therapeutic target.

University of South Australia (with A/Prof Quenten Schwarz)

  • “Defining the role of IGF-1 as a novel angiocrine factor in the development and treatment of common craniofacial disorders”.