(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – The lower-limb paralysis associated with spina bifida may be effectively treated before birth by combining a unique stem cell therapy with surgery, new research from UC Davis Health System has found. Diana Farmer (front), a pioneer in fetal surgery, and her research team are testing placental stem cells as a treatment for the paralysis associated with spina
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(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – The state stem cell agency, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), awarded a pair of grants totaling more than $7 million to UC Davis School of Medicine researchers who are working to develop stem cell therapies for spina bifida and chronic diabetic wounds. The funding is part of what the agency considers “the most promising” research leading up
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Written by Anuja Vaidya and Laura Dyrda Clinical innovation moves at breakneck speed, and this year saw a number of ‘firsts’ in spine surgery. Here are four that could potentially change the spine industry: First ever spine surgery with 3D-printed vertebral body In August, spine surgeons made history when they performed the first spinal disc replacement implanting a 3D printed vertebra. Three-dimensional
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Physicians at Texas Children’s Fetal Center and Baylor College of Medicine proudly announce the completion of the first two-port fetoscopic procedure to repair spina bifida in-utero. It is believed that this is the first time this type of fetoscopic procedure has been performed in the United States. The fetoscopic approach was developed by Dr. Michael Belfort, obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at
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Performing surgery on foetuses while still in the womb is a risky business. Although pioneering work in this field began in the 1980s, it remains very challenging, with only a few highly trained teams scattered around the world treating a handful of conditions. But new technology could transform the treatment of congenital problems in the womb. In spina bifida, for
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Most everyone in the pro-life movement is familiar with the photo of Samuel Armas clasping a doctor’s finger. That picture, taken during an in-utero surgery at a hospital at Vanderbilt University, received nationwide attention. The photo was so inspiring that members of Congress brought it up during a hearing when a Senate committee hearing exploring the scientific and medical advances
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Over the last few months we have run several stories about in utero surgery. To this day there remain some skeptics. Their numbers are diminishing, however, as there is much research that demonstrates (for example) how babies with spina bifida will benefit when surgeons correct their problem before they are born. One of the best examples was a study in
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