Face Genes Identified; Five Genes Have Been Found to Determine Human Facial Shapes

Researchers from the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia have collaborated to discover the genes involved in the morphology of the human face. The team used the genome-wide association (GWA) approach to look at the DNA variants involved in facial shape, where they used nearly 10,000 individuals to conduct their study. What the found was that there are only FIVE genes involved in facial appearance and shape. Of these five, it turns out three were already studied in vertebrate craniofacial development and disease, and one specifically had been reported in an earlier study as a gene involved in facial morphology of children.

This discovery is remarkable in the field of genetics, and I believe this may lead to a future of gene therapy that will replace surgical modifications, in those young enough, who suffer from any genetic facial deformity.