The Bannasch Laboratory at the University of California, Davis and the Wade Laboratory at the University of Sydney are working towards identifying the genes responsible for cleft palate and cleft lip in the dog. We have identified four regions that cause autosomal recessive cleft palate within the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (NSDTR). We have identified the specific mutation that causes cleft palate in one of these regions which we call CP1. We have recently received funding from the national Institutes of Health to expand this project to include all breeds of dogs.