Cure for spina bifida: Scientists have discovered specific elements in stem cell secretions as key to protecting neurons and reducing the lower-limb paralysis linked to birth defect.
Those elements are exosomes -- vesicles that transfer molecules from cell to cell -- and a small carbohydrate-binding protein known as galectin 1.
Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury is an injury to the spinal cord that results in temporary or permanent changes in its function.
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‘Prenatal surgery combined with human placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (PMSCs) improved hind limb control in lab animals and dogs with spina bifida.’
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The team will use the results to optimize the neuroprotective qualities of a stem cell treatment they developed to improve the mobility issues associated with spina bifida.
Published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the study was led by Aijun Wang, co-director of the UC Davis Health Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory.
![Birth Defect - Structural Defects]( "Birth Defect - Structural Defects")
A structural birth defect means that a specific body part is missing or mal-formed during the embryonic development.
Altering the outcomes of spina bifida
UC Davis Health fetal surgeon and study co-author Diana Farmer first showed that prenatal surgery reduces neurological defects in children with spina bifida, which occurs when the spinal cord does not properly close before birth. Children with the condition experience a range of lifelong cognitive, urological, musculoskeletal and motor disabilities.
"We wanted to know the specific mechanisms of action of the PMSC treatment that protect neurons," Wang said. "Our new results provide evidence that stem cell secretions containing exosomes that express galectin 1 are an important part of the therapeutic benefits and give us a path for optimizing the neuroprotective qualities of the treatment."
Hope for a cell-free treatment
The new study also could help the researchers produce a cell-free treatment for spina bifida and other spinal cord injuries based on byproducts of stem cells rather than the stem cells themselves, according to Wang.
Stem cells can heal, however they also can influence the broader immune system and treatment site, making the possibility of cell-free treatment highly attractive.
"Stem cell secretions can have the same or similar healing qualities, but also are a more stable and controllable product," Wang said. "We are excited about what we see so far and are anxious to further explore the clinical applications of this research."
In addition to Wang and Farmer, study authors were Priyadarsini Kumar, James Becker, Kewa Gao, Randy Carney, Lee Lankford, Benjamin Keller, Kyle Herout and Kit Lam, all of UC Davis Health. Gao also is affiliated with The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China.
Source: Eurekalert
Birth Defect - Structural Defects
A structural birth defect means that a specific body part is missing or mal-formed during the embryonic development.
Advertisement
Altering the outcomes of spina bifida
UC Davis Health fetal surgeon and study co-author Diana Farmer first showed that prenatal surgery reduces neurological defects in children with spina bifida, which occurs when the spinal cord does not properly close before birth. Children with the condition experience a range of lifelong cognitive, urological, musculoskeletal and motor disabilities.
"We wanted to know the specific mechanisms of action of the PMSC treatment that protect neurons," Wang said. "Our new results provide evidence that stem cell secretions containing exosomes that express galectin 1 are an important part of the therapeutic benefits and give us a path for optimizing the neuroprotective qualities of the treatment."
Hope for a cell-free treatment
The new study also could help the researchers produce a cell-free treatment for spina bifida and other spinal cord injuries based on byproducts of stem cells rather than the stem cells themselves, according to Wang.
Stem cells can heal, however they also can influence the broader immune system and treatment site, making the possibility of cell-free treatment highly attractive.
"Stem cell secretions can have the same or similar healing qualities, but also are a more stable and controllable product," Wang said. "We are excited about what we see so far and are anxious to further explore the clinical applications of this research."
In addition to Wang and Farmer, study authors were Priyadarsini Kumar, James Becker, Kewa Gao, Randy Carney, Lee Lankford, Benjamin Keller, Kyle Herout and Kit Lam, all of UC Davis Health. Gao also is affiliated with The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China.
Source: Eurekalert
Second Child Have 10% More Chances to Have Spina Bifida
The chances of the second child having Spina bifida -- a defect with incomplete closing of the backbone and membrane around the spinal cord -- increases by 10 per cent if the first.
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 Quiz on Birth DefectsBirth defects are structural or functional abnormalities that happen while a baby is developing in the mother's body. Most birth defects occur during the first trimester of pregnancy. Main categories of birth defects include structural birth defects and functional/developmental birth defects. | Advertisement
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