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Dr. Diana Farmer and her team at the UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Spina bifida, which refers to a disease in which the spinal cord is poorly formed in the uterus leaving a section of the neural tube open, has existed since before Middle Ages. In fact, skeletons discovered in Morocco dating back to 12,000 BC show signs of the disease. Until the last decade, this diagnosis often meant childhood paralysis for infants born with the disease and a series of cognitive, mobility, urinary and intestinal disabilities depending on the severity of the malformation.
Spina bifida is diagnosed between 1500 and 2000 babies born each year in the United States. Due to the seriousness of the complications caused by spina bifida, scientists have been studying the disease for centuries in the hope of finding a cure. Until recent years, these efforts had been largely unsuccessful and the treatment consisted of surgery in the first days after birth to limit the most negative effects of the disease.
Knowing that spinal cord damage worsens during the normal progression of pregnancy, fetal medicine researchers have worked diligently to find ways to repair the damage to the spinal cord before birth. Dr. Diana Farmer, the first female fetal surgeon in the world, is the first to operate in this field and is the Chair of Surgery and Chief Surgeon for UC Davis Children's Hospital.
Farmer was part of a project funded by the National Institutes of Health to determine whether fetal surgery, performed in utero before birth, would be beneficial for patients in whom the most severe form of spina bifida would have been diagnosed. Over a seven-year period, patients were randomly badigned to undergo fetal surgery between 22 and 26 weeks of gestation, or to follow the traditional path of completion of surgery shortly after birth. The results of the study, published in 2011, were extremely positive. Compared to babies operated after birth, less than half of those operated on the fetus needed a shunt to drain fluid accumulation in the brain. In addition, the changes in skull shape that are commonly found with spina bifida were much less severe in fetal operated infants. Unfortunately, mobility issues remained a problem among both test groups.
Based on the success of the study, Farmer and a team from UC Davis began researching whether stem cells could repair spina bifida before birth and improve neurological functioning. The results recorded after the administration of stem cell therapy to a group of lambs were remarkably effective: 67% of the lambs who received stem cell therapy were able to walk autonomously. In 2017, the team collaborated with the William Davis Pritchard University Medical University Hospital to relieve the symptoms of two 10-week old bulldog puppies born with spina bifida who were unable to walk or even move tail. They treated the dogs with a combination of surgery and canine stem cells. Two and a half months later, the puppies walked, ran and played.
The work done by Diana Farmer and the UC Davis research team drew the attention of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which awarded the team a $ 5.66 million grant in November 2018. This grant will allow the team to make the final necessary preparations and tests to the FDA. approval so that they can begin a clinical trial to treat babies with spina bifida through a combination of fetal surgery and stem cell therapy starting in 2021.
Talitha McGuinness, executive director of the non-profit National Foundation for Fetal Health (FHF), is excited about the work she has done at the UC Davis Fetal Care and Treatment Center. In 2006, McGuinness helped found FHF, which provides information on fetal syndromes, links families with the syndrome to specialized centers and other families with similar diagnosis, and badigns research grants for the study of promising treatments for the fetus. Reflecting on growth in the field of fetal medicine, McGuinness says, "When we started the Foundation, there were only a few fetus centers for the mother in the United States and a small number of proven treatments for the fetus. fetal syndrome. Today, there are more than 100 centers, with experts in maternal fetuses and researchers from around the world working on treatments like those under way at UC Davis. "
The explosive growth of fetal medicine has far-reaching implications. There are hundreds of known fetal syndromes that cause serious complications or death in 800,000 pregnancies each year. The knowledge gained by scientists seeking treatments for one type of fetal syndrome is often transferable to many other syndromes. According to McGuiness, "It's inspiring to think that the ongoing work at UC Davis to repair the spinal cord and limit the effects of spina bifida may ultimately help not only babies, but also babies with lung and heart syndrome. and other fetuses. "
About the UC Davis Fetal Treatment and Treatment Center
The UC Davis Fetal Treatment and Treatment Center houses a highly specialized, comprehensive and multidisciplinary fetal diagnosis and treatment center that offers on-site fetal surgery for the treatment of pre-natal conditions. For more information, visit fetalcare.ucdavis.edu.
About the Foundation for Fetal Health
The Fetal Health Foundation (FHF) is a national nonprofit organization that aims to empower and support expectant parents by providing them with information, access to world-clbad medical experts in fetal medicine, financial support, relationships and advice. In addition, the FHF funds research, raises public awareness and serves as an outlet for advanced medical information on fetal diseases and syndromes. For more information, visit www.fetalhealthfoundation.org.
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Dr. Diana Farmer and UC Davis Research Team
Talitha A. McGuinness Foundation for Fetal Health 980-224-0398 [email protected]
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