Brilliant and inspiring article! Stem cell treatment for spina bifida! For the first time in the world, #UCDavisHealth successfully cured #paralysis and predicted associated neurological defects spina bifida for babies in utero during fetal surgery. Kudos to fetal surgeon Dr. Diana Lee Farmer who launched the landmark #CuReTrial. She worked 2 decades searching for a cure finding that regenerative #stemcelltherapy only recently became a feasible solution! The key source material was engineered placental-derived #Perinatal stem cells. The #FDA approved study was funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. I will be addressing the Perinatal Stem Cell Society conference this week in Ft. Lauderdale and look forward to learning more about the promise of perinatal derived #MSCs.
By Tricia Tomiyoshi – UC Davis Health News
SACRAMENTO , CA – Three babies have been born after receiving the world’s first spina bifida treatment combining surgery with stem cells. This was made possible by a landmark clinical trial at UC Davis Health.The one-of-a-kind treatment, delivered while a fetus is still developing in the mother’s womb, could improve outcomes for children with this birth defect.
Launched in the spring of 2021, the clinical trial is known formally as the “CuRe Trial: Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele.” Thirty-five patients will be treated in total.
The three babies from the trial that have been born so far will be monitored by the research team until 30 months of age to fully assess the procedure’s safety and effectiveness.
The first phase of the trial is funded by a $9 million state grant from the state’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).