FaceBase History

Since 2009, FaceBase has developed a broad and deep base of data, first through integration of multidisciplinary reasearch teams into a consortium with the idea being that not every research problem will be or even can be solved with a single approach. Most will require a range of tools and expertise, allowing a more powerful research synergy to peel away the many layers of biological complexity and reach the essence of the question. A variety of spoke projects support the FaceBase Consortium, a collection of collaborative research teams at various sites around the country.

FaceBase initially channeled its focus on data from specific groups of targeted projects (known as spoke projects). This has provided a large foundation of data from a range of tools and expertise. This also allowed for projects to focus on specific efforts within a theme: FaceBase 1 focused on midface structure and development. FaceBase 2 expanded to include the whole face. In the current phase of FaceBase, we are now looking to broaden our range of data to include fill in any gaps and flesh out our data offerings; including anatomical areas (ie, teeth and gums), diseases, species (ie, chick) and tools - adapting to the ever changing technologies that are evolving the modern research landscape.

FaceBase 1 (2009 - 2014)

FaceBase was initially launched in 2009 with eleven research and technology grants. The first phase from 2009 through 2014 focused on the middle region of the human face and the genetics related to developmental disorders such as cleft lip and palate. The data from this first band of projects created an huge database for the head and skull and craniofacial development available free to the public.

FB1 Spoke projects:

• FaceBase Management and Coordination Hub (Marazita/Murray)
• 3D Facial Norms Database (Marazita/Weinberg)
• Algum (Satyanarayanan)
• Functional Analysis of Neural Crest and Palate: Imaging Craniofacial Development (Fraser)
• Genetic Determinants of Orofacial Shape and Relationship to Cleft Lip/Palate (Hallgrimsson/Klein/Spritz)
• Genetic Tools and Resources for Orofacial Clefting Research (Donahue/Murray)
• Genome-Wide Atlas of Craniofacial Transcriptional Enhancers (Visel)
• Global Gene Expression Atlas of Craniofacial Development (Potter)
• Identification of miRNAs Involved in Midfacial Development and Clefting (Artinger/Clouthier/Postlethwait)
• Oral Clefts: Moving from Genome-Wide Studies Toward Functional Genomics (Beaty)
• Research on Functional Genomics, Image Analysis and Rescue of Cleft Palate (Chai)
• Shape-Based Retrieval of 3D Craniofacial Data (Shapiro)

FaceBase 2 (2014 - 2019)

In 2014, the second 5-year phase of FaceBase launched with ISI's Informatics Division manning the Coordinating Center (known as the Hub) and ten new projects expanding FaceBase's domain to include more regions. The Hub also developed new systems and tools including more complex yet intuitive search capabilities and greater detail and analysis in viewing data.

FB2 Spoke projects:

• FaceBase 2 Coordinating Center (Kesselman)
• Anatomical Atlas and Transgenic Toolkit for Late Skull Formation in Zebrafish (Fisher/Harris)
• Developing 3D Craniofacial Morphometry Data and Tools to Transform Dysmorphology (Hallgrimsson/Klein/Spritz)
• Epigenetic Landscapes and Regulatory Divergence of Human Craniofacial Traits (Selleri/Wysocka)
• Genomic and Transgenic Resources for Craniofacial Enhancer Studies (Visel)
• Human Genomics Analysis Interface for FaceBase 2 (Marazita)
• Integrated Research of Functional Genomics and Craniofacial Morphogenesis (Chai)
• The Ontology of Craniofacial Development and Malformation (Brinkley)
• Rapid Identification and Validation of Human Craniofacial Development Genes (Maas/Liao)
• RNA Dynamics in the Developing Mouse Face (Hooper/Jones/Williams)
• Transcriptome Atlases of the Craniofacial Sutures (Holmes/Jabs/Van Bakel)

FB2 Scientific Leadership Group:

• J. Michael Cherry, Stanford University
• Melissa Haendel, Oregon Heath & Sciences University
• Max Muenke, NIH/NHGRI
• Phil Soriano, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai
• Raimond Winslow, Johns Hopkins University

FB2 NIH/NIDCR staff:

• Steven Scholnick
• Jeannine Helm
• Nadya Lumelsky
• Lillian Shum
• Martha Somerman
• Lu Wang

FaceBase 3 (2019-2024)

The previous two phases provided a large foundation of data from a range of tools and expertise. This also allowed for projects to focus on specific efforts within a theme: FaceBase 1 focused on midface structure and development. FaceBase 2 expanded to include the whole face.

In the third (and current as of this writing) phase of FaceBase, we broaden our range of data to fill in any gaps and flesh out our data offerings; including anatomical areas (ie, teeth and gums), diseases, species (ie, chick) and tools - adapting to the ever changing technologies that are evolving the modern research landscape.

To view the current personnel, go to the About page.

To view the current list of data we are most interested in to improve our repository, go to the Data Priorities page.