♪♪ Narrator: The fact that 2-year-old Alex is walking today might be considered a small miracle... but it'’s actually the result of a groundbreaking medical procedure pioneered by UC Davis Health and a handful of other hospitals throughout the U.S. Alex was diagnosed with Spina Bifida while still in the womb.

Every year, more than 1,400 infants in the United States are born with this congenital disease.

Dr. Diana Farmer: Spina Bifida is a birth defect where the spinal cord and the spine don't form normally before birth.

It fails to close, and because of that, that spinal cord is exposed to the elements, in utero and then in theory after birth.

Narrator: The exact causes of spina bifida are still unclear, but researchers say there are many possible factors.

Higher occurrences may be linked to obesity, diabetes, or even some genetic or environmental factors.

It'’s believed that pregnant women who take folic acid, or vitamin B-9, daily may reduce the likelihood of their babies developing spina bifida.

Spina Bifida can range in severity from mild to severe.

Some individuals may be able to function with little or no impairment.

Others may be limited in their capacity to move or operate.

Some people may become paralyzed.

Dr. Diana Farmer: We just took care of that problem after birth and protected the spinal cord, closed up the skin, so that children would not get infected, they wouldn't get Meningitis, an infection in the spinal cord, but we never had the expectation that they, it would improve their paralysis, it just assumed that paralysis was part of the problem with Spina Bifida.

Narrator: Spina Bifida treatment has evolved significantly over time.

Patient outcomes have improved because of major advancements in prenatal and neonatal care.

Dr. Diana Farmer: Almost 20 years ago now, we asked the question "if we operated before birth, could that make the outcomes better?"

We looked at different kinds of cells, iPS Cells were popular at the time, but we finally settled on Mesenchymal Stem Cells from the placenta.

Narrator: Mesenchymal Stem Cells, or MSCs, are multipotent stem cells found in the bone marrow that are important for making and repairing skeletal tissues.

Placental-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, on the other hand, have significant advantages over their bone marrow counterparts, in terms of cellular treatment.

Dr. Diana Farmer: And what we discovered was that if you operated before birth, if you did "Fetal Surgery", that in fact, those children did have a better outcome.

Narrator: Fetal surgery for Spina Bifida is a delicate surgical procedure where surgeons open the uterus and seal the opening in the baby's spine while the infant is still in the womb.

UC Davis is one of only four hospitals in California that perform fetal surgery.

Dr. Diana Farmer: It sounds like a crazy idea, operating inside the womb, but it's actually 30 years old now.

Narrator: If mother and fetus are both eligible and get surgery before birth, the baby will have a greater chance of walking and not needing a shunt for some of the brain disorders linked with Spina Bifida.

Dr. Diana Farmer: We used a, a patch that is already approved by the FDA to repair problems either in the spinal cord or the brain when they need an extra layer to sort of close up what we call the Dura, the lining of the central nervous system, of the brain and the spinal cord, and we thought well let's see if our cells can grow on this already FDA approved "Dural Patch".

And then we took these special cells from the placenta, cultured them in a unique way that allowed these cells to secrete what we, I like to call "Magic Stem Cell Juice".

We don't know exactly how it works, but we certainly know that it secretes lots of important growth factors for the spinal cord.

Narrator: Alex was the first to undergo Spina Bifida fetal surgery at UC Davis Children's Hospital... performed 10 weeks before his birth.

Dr. Marike Zwienenberg: I was very impressed today about how he is walking, that is pretty tremendous, considering where his defect was and what the expectation would be, I think he is outperforming that.

You know, I think the fetal surgery has to do, made a big difference.

Estella Mendoza: He's been progressing a lot, even though they told me that he wouldn't be able to walk, and now... ... seeing him walking, like I'm really really happy, they helped me so much., Bye, bye Annc: This Digital Short is supported by UC Davis Health home to the number one ranked medical center in Sacramento by US News & World Report.

Learn more about their doctors and their passion for advancing health at health.ucdavis.edu.