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By Guest blogger Valerie Cotton, Kids First Program Manager, NICHD Childhood cancers and structural birth defects have profound, lifelong effects on children and their families. Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life, and cancer remains the leading cause of childhood disease-related mortality beyond the first year of life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, a child born with a birth defect is at a higher risk for childhood cancer, suggesting these conditions may be caused by shared genetic pathways. However, limited data and resources are available to investigate potential genetic [...] Read more