Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/735225
t m c » p u l s e | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 6 27 "Where are all the other babies?" Currently, Papanna and his team are pursuing additional clinical studies and working to expand their approval from the FDA for more cases. They hope to apply the patch using fetoscopic repair techniques, which would reduce sur- gical risks to both the mother and the baby. Ultimately, they also aim to create a standard of care for babies diagnosed with spina bifida. "Right now, the techniques being used to close the spina bifida are all over the map, and the outcomes vary considerably," said Moise, who recently returned from Botswana where the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society convened for their annual conference. "Nobody has a standard way of treating this, but we all agree that what- ever patches or fetoscopic approach we use, the outcomes should be judged against the MOMS Trial. We all want to develop something better than what we're already doing." We should be three times busier than we are. There are over 200 babies born in Texas every year with spina bifida. Two hundred. And we might do eight or 10 cases a year. Where are all the other babies? — KENNETH MOISE, M.D. Wall: 1a Final output size: 168 in. X 105 in. (this le is at 50%) Wall: 8ab Final output size: 196.875 in. X 114 in. (this le is at 50%) S A V E T H E D A T E T M C x D E M O DAY M E D I C A L D E V I C E S 1 1 .1 7.1 6 Eleven TMCx companies will showcase their medical device solutions to an audience of investors, health care providers and industry professionals. Join us to see cutting-edge medical device technology and learn about the most innovative companies in Houston. To request an invitation, please email TMCxevents@tmc.edu, and be sure to visit tmc.edu/innovation/about/companies/ to learn more about our companies! #TMCxDemoDay LOCATION TMC Accelerator (TMCx) 2450 Holcombe Blvd., Suite X Houston, Texas 77021 Moise expects that a standard of care, as well as increasingly positive outcomes, will also encourage OBGYNs to refer more of their patients to fetal centers for counseling. "We should be three times busier than we are," Moise said. "There are over 200 babies born in Texas every year with spina bifida. Two hundred. And we might do eight or 10 cases a year. Where are all the other babies?" Even more, he hopes standardiz- ing treatment will change the climate surrounding fetal repair surgery worldwide. Currently, there are only a handful of sites outside the U.S. that do fetal surgical repairs. According to Moise, many countries, including most of Western Europe, consider a spina bifida diagnosis the equivalent of an unviable pregnancy. "They think we're crazy to do what we do," Moise said.