Three babies have been born in the USA after receiving the world’s first spina bifida treatment which combines surgery with stem cells. The one-of-a-kind treatment, delivered while a foetus is still developing in-utero, could improve outcomes for children with this congenital anomaly.
The surgery was made possible by a landmark clinical trial at UC Davis Health. Launched in the spring of 2021, the clinical trial is known formally as the CuRe Trial: Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele. A total of and 35 patients will be treated in all. 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.