“Stem cells applied to the exposed spinal cords of fetuses in utero could treat infants with a severe birth complication that affects movement and continence. Researchers report that the therapy is safe, following a small clinical trial in six people.

Spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal cord is not properly enclosed during gestation, affects fewer than 1 in 1,000 births globally, but occurs at higher rates in low-income countries. The most severe form, called myelomeningocele, can cause excess fluid accumulation in the brain and potential brain damage, as well as paralysis and issues with bladder and bowel control…

Six pregnant women underwent surgery at 24–25 weeks of gestation. During the procedure, stem cells generated from donated placentas were applied to the fetuses’ exposed spinal cords directly. The authors say there were no complications during the surgeries, and the newborns were delivered at around 34 weeks of gestation with no signs of infection, cerebrospinal fluid leakage or tumour growth. Farmer says there were concerns that the stem cells could become cancerous.

All of the newborns showed signs that a complication of their condition called hindbrain herniation — in which the back of the brain descends into the neck and blocks the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid — had been reversed.”

From Nature.