Cell Therapy News/Articles, page-327

Stem cell byproducts provide insight into cure for spina bifida
MARCH 8, 2019 / YIMY VILLA

A diagram of an infant born with spina bifida, a birth defect where there is an incomplete closing of the backbone portion of the spinal cord. Photo courtesy of the Texas Children’s Hospital website.
Some of you might remember a movie in the early 2000s by the name of “Miracle in Lane 2”. The film is based on an inspirational true story and revolves around a boy named Justin Yoder entering a soapbox derby competition. In the movie, Justin achieves success as a soapbox derby driver while adapting to the challenges of being in a wheelchair.


Scene from “Miracle in Lane 2”
The reason that Justin is unable to walk is due to a birth defect known as spina bifida, which causes an incomplete closing of the backbone portion of the spinal cord, exposing tissue and nerves. In addition to difficulties with walking, other problems associated with this condition are problems with bladder or bowel control and accumulation of fluid in the brain.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) , each year about 1,645 babies in the US are born with spina bifida, with Hispanic women having the highest rate of children born with the condition. There is currently no cure for this condition, but researchers at UC Davis are one step closer to changing that.


Dr. Aijun Wang examining cells under a microscope. He has identified stem cell byproducts that protect neurons. Photo courtesy of UC Regents/UC Davis Health
Dr. Aijun Wang, Dr. Diana Farmer, and their research team have identified crucial byproducts produced by stem cells that play an important role in protecting neurons. These byproducts could assist with improving lower-limb motion in patients with spina bifida.

Prior to this discovery, Dr. Farmer and Dr. Wang demonstrated that prenatal surgery combined with connective tissue (e.g. stromal cells) derived from stem cells improved hind limb control in dogs with spina bifida. Below you can see a clip of two English bulldogs with spina bifida who are now able to walk.

Their findings were published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology on February 12, 2019.

The team will use their findings to perfect the neuroprotective qualities of a stem cell treatment developed to improve locomotive problems associated with spina bifida.

In a public release posted by EurekaAlert!, Dr. Wang is quoted as saying, “We are excited about what we see so far and are anxious to further explore the clinical applications of this research.”

The discovery and development of a treatment for spina bifida was funded by a $5.66 million grant from CIRM. You can read more about that award and spina bifida on a previous blog post linked here.