Myelomeningocele is a severe congenital defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth, putting those affected at risk of lifelong neurological problems. In a preclinical study, researchers developed a stem cell-based therapy for generating skin grafts to cover myelomeningocele defects before birth. They first generated artificial skin from human induced pluripotent stem cells, and then successfully transplanted the skin grafts into rat fetuses with myelomeningocele.