High density placental mesenchymal stromal cells provide neuronal preservation and improve motor function following in utero treatment of ovine myelomeningocele

This ovine study demonstrates that placental mesenchymal stromal cells seeded on extracellular matrix during in utero myelomeningocele repair significantly improve motor function and preserve spinal cord neurons compared to matrix alone. Higher cell seeding densities (250-300K cells/cm²) correlated with increased neuronal density and better locomotor outcomes, supporting cell-based therapy as an adjunct to fetal MMC repair.