UC Davis Performs World's First In-Utero Stem Cell Therapy for Fetal Spina Bifida Repair

A research team at UC Davis Health has safely performed the world's first in-utero stem cell therapy for fetal spina bifida repair, demonstrating that stem cells can be delivered to a developing baby in the womb to treat a devastating birth defect before the child is even born. The groundbreaking procedure combines fetal surgery — already a frontier of modern medicine — with regenerative stem cell technology to address spina bifida at its earliest and most treatable stage. The finding that the procedure is safe opens the door to clinical trials that could transform the treatment of one of the most common birth defects in the world, which affects roughly 1,500 babies born in the United States each year.