New Research Uses Stem Cells To Repair Birth Defect

June 3, 2015 | Crandall & Pera Law
New Research Uses Stem Cells To Repair Birth Defect

“Craniosynostosis (kray-nee-o-sin-os-TOE-sis) is a birth defect in which one or more of the joints between the bones of your baby's skull close prematurely, before your baby's brain is fully formed. When your baby has craniosynostosis, his or her brain can't grow in its natural shape and the head is misshapen.” The definition of this birth defect comes from the Mayo Clinic, which goes on to say that current treatment methods involve surgery to separate the fused bones.

New research has pinpointed the cause of craniosynostosis, and may have applications for trauma injuries as well as solving the birth defect. According to News Medical, the research has shown that stem cells actively encourage the damaged bone to heal. If the lab trials prove successful, doctors may be able to avoid complicated, high-risk surgeries where they break the skull into pieces and staple it back together (the current method for fixing the problem). Rather, “doctors will be able to help people who have suffered disfiguring facial injuries and infants diagnosed with craniosynostosis through biological means instead of multiple, high-risk surgeries.”

Additional applications


The procedure could take up to ten years to become publicly available, but it appears to be worth the time and effort. With a true cure for craniosynostosis, children who would otherwise suffer lifelong debilitating injuries could lead normal, successful lives.

Additionally, the procedure can be used to reduce or relieve the effects of:


  • Open head injuries caused by piercing objects

  • Facial disfigurement as a result of an accident or a physical altercation

  • Encephalocele, the condition where a baby’s brain may poke through a part of its skull

  • Skull fractures caused by repeated or jarring hits to the head


Research like this comes along once in a great while, but scientists like this are the ones who help to make the world a better place. These findings will wind up saving lives and preventing needless suffering, but, unfortunately, they are still quite a long way off from being commonplace. Until they are, medical bills must be paid and birth injuries can lead to a lifetime of physical and emotional suffering. If your child has suffers from a birth injury, please contact Crandall & Pera Law for a free consultation in our Ohio or Kentucky office locations.