Trial of in-womb stem cell therapy to begin

UK scientists are to take part in the first clinical trial that will see foetal stem cells injected into babies that are still in the womb.

The study will be led by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and spearheaded in the UK by Great Ormond Street Hospital. Stem cells from terminated pregnancies will be used to address symptoms of incurable brittle bone disease.

It is hoped that these stem cell injections will lessen the impact of the incurable condition among the babies, offering an alternative to the bone-strengthening drugs, metal rods and physiotherapy currently used.

The trial is scheduled to commence in January 2016 and will recruit patients for two years. 15 babies will receive infusions in the womb and again after they are born, with a further 15 only having the treatment after birth.

Professor Lyn Chitty of Great Ormond Street Hospital said: "If successful, this project may be one of the first to show that certain conditions can be treated prior to birth, leading to better outcomes for the child."