Dr. Diana Farmer of UC Davis is pioneering new spina bifida treatments by combining fetal surgery with stem cell therapy in the groundbreaking CuRe Trial. Her work is transforming patient care and offering hope.
The landmark clinical trial CuRe Trial: Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele is underway at UC Davis Health. The world’s first spina bifida treatment combining fetal surgery with stem cells could change the life of a baby with spina bifida, who could otherwise be paralyzed from the waist down.
Oregon couple traveled to California for in-utero surgery at nearly 26 weeks gestation to repair the baby’s spina bifida defect. During the operation, doctors placed a stem cell patch on the baby’s small spine. The results are making waves around the world.
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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.
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.