# First person – Helen Molteni

## TL;DR

This paper discusses a study that identifies a drug, elafibranor, which connects mechanical signals to epithelial differentiation in the context of orofacial clefts.

## Contribution

The study introduces elafibranor as a small molecule linking mechanical cues to Irf6-dependent epithelial differentiation in orofacial development.

## Key findings

- Elafibranor was identified through a small-molecule screen as a key player in epithelial differentiation.
- The study shows that elafibranor connects mechanical cues to Irf6-dependent processes in midface development.
- The findings emphasize the role of epithelial differentiation genes in orofacial clefts.

## Abstract

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Helen Molteni is first author on ‘A small-molecule screen identifies that elafibranor links mechanical cues and Irf6-dependent epithelial differentiation’, published in DMM. Helen is a Craniofacial Surgeon-Scientist Training Fellow in the lab of Eric Liao at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA, investigating genetic drivers of orofacial clefts, emphasizing the role of epithelial differentiation genes in midface development.