What went right this week: the good news that matters

A new treatment has shown huge potential for treating spina bifida in the womb, after a trial showed that it improved children’s mobility and quality of life.  

Spina bifida, a condition in which a baby’s spinal cord is not properly enclosed during gestation, can lead to a range of lifelong disabilities. However, scientists claimed this week to have a promising new treatment, which involves applying stem cells from the mother’s placenta to her baby’s spine while surgeons repair it in the womb. 

Diana Farmer, chair of the University of California’s Davis Department of Surgery, which led the US trial, said the procedure “paves the way for new treatment options for children with birth defects”.

Six mothers took part in the phase one trial, the results of which were published in the Lancet health journal this week. Michelle Johnson was among them.  

“Our family couldn’t feel more blessed,” said Johnson, whose son Tobi (pictured) was born in 2022. “Tobi’s physical and mental abilities are nothing short of a miracle.”

While further research is needed, Aijun Wang, co-inventor of the treatment, said it was a “major step toward a new kind of fetal therapy”. Shine, a UK-based spina bifida charity, described the results as “very exciting”.

Image: University of California