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The first clinical trial to inject foetal stem cells into babies still in the womb to lessen the symptoms of incurable brittle bone disease will begin in January next year. The trial will be led by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and in the UK by Great Ormond Street Hospital and the stem cells will come from terminated pregnancies.
Officially called osteogenesis imperfecta, brittle bone disease affects around one in every 25,000 births. It can be fatal with babies born with multiple fractures. The disease is caused by errors in the developing baby’s DNA, that means the collagen supposed to give bone its structure is either missing or of poor quality.
It is hoped the stem cells, which are able to transform into a range of tissues, will lessen symptoms of incurable brittle bone disease.
The donated stem cells should provide the correct instructions for growing bone, BBC News reported.
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