4-minute read
Researchers at UC Davis Health are continuing to Phase 2 of a clinical trial for in utero surgery that uses stem cells to repair spina bifida defect, offering potential better outcomes.
When faced with a severe form of spina bifida, Iliana underwent cutting-edge in-utero surgery at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Today she is thriving thanks to her mother’s courageous decision.
“I had the chance to give my baby a better opportunity in life, and I took it.”
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 new treatment, delivered while a fetus is still in the mother’s womb, could improve outcomes for children with this birth defect.
“The doctor came in and handed me a box of tissues,” Katie recalls. “She was saying something about an abnormal pregnancy, shunts, abnormalities of the left leg, club foot. I was in complete shock at that point, and I couldn’t really make out what she was saying because it felt like time was suspended.”
In a span of two hours, their lives had been turned upside down.
Cincinnati Children’s, a national leader in prenatal myelomeningocele surgery, recently conducted their 100th prenatal surgical repair. Kelly Song’s daughter was diagnosed with spina bifida at 20 weeks. Read more: