Overview
- Six pregnant participants underwent in‑utero myelomeningocele repair at 24–25 weeks with a placenta‑derived mesenchymal stem cell patch placed over the exposed spinal cord.
- All babies were delivered around 34 weeks with intact closures and no infections, cerebrospinal‑fluid leaks or abnormal cell growth, and MRI scans showed hindbrain herniation had resolved.
- None of the newborns required a shunt for hydrocephalus before hospital discharge, according to the study team’s report.
- Researchers have launched a roughly 35‑patient follow‑on trial and will monitor the original six children through age six to assess durability and long‑term safety.
- Animal studies and early parent reports, including a child now walking and running, suggest potential functional gains, though population‑level efficacy remains unproven.