UC Davis Health Provides Update on In Utero Stem Cell Treatment

In the spring of 2021, the CuRe trial — also known as the Cellular Therapy for In Utero Repair of Myelomeningocele trial — was launched by UC Davis Health. Through this trial, 35 patients were recruited to undergo fetal surgery. Yesterday, the organization provided an update, stating that three babies from the clinical trial have been delivered.

Spina bifida is a congenital disability that can impact cognition, mobility, and continence. In the United States, between 1,500 and 2,000 children are born with spina bifida each year. Most patients can undergo surgical interventions after delivery to minimize some of the disabilities caused by this disease. However, these surgical interventions can only do so much as the disease progresses throughout the pregnancy.

The study is funded through a $9 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Diana Farmer, MD, FACS, FRCS, fetal surgeon, recruited Aijun Wang, a bioengineer, to help her with this study.

The human trials follow multiple animal modeling trials on sheep and dogs with favorable outcomes after stem cell treatment. Throughout this study, clinical-grade stem cells were created from placental tissue.

“It’s a four-day process to make the stem cell patch,” said Priya Kumar, the scientist at the Center for Surgical Bioengineering in the Department of Surgery, who leads the team that creates the stem cell patches and delivers them to the operating room, in the press release. “The time we pull out the cells, the time we seed on the scaffold, and the time we deliver is all critical.”

In the press release, UC Davis Health shares the story of a mother, Emily, and her baby, Robbie. Emily underwent the surgical procedure requiring a 40-person operating and cell preparation team. During the process, a small incision is made to expose the spine and the defect, at which point it is repaired. After delivery, the patient had mobility in her legs.

“The CuRe team is cautious about drawing conclusions and says a lot is still to be learned during this safety phase of the trial. The team will continue to monitor Robbie and the other babies in the trial until they are six years old, with a key checkup happening at 30 months to see if they are walking and potty training,” stated the UC Davis Health press release.