Serious congenital malformations are a major contributor to the infant
death rate worldwide. Their nonhereditary causes are multiple and
complex, and include infectious and metabolic dangers, disease
medication, nutritional inadequacy, medicinal products, environmental
agents and pollutants, among them. The cause of many however is still
unknown.
The wide range of these causes makes the defects of interest to those of
a wide range of medical and investigatory backgrounds, especialy
clinicians, fundamental scientists, and environmentalists.