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Live Event Content
BOB in Ped Surg 2023 - EUPSA Winner - Dr. Rebeca Figueira
With Dr. Rebecca Figueira · hosted by Dr. Todd Ponsky
Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Talk to your (or your child's) care team about your situation.
Video
BOB Winner Presentation - Dr. Rebeca Figueira - EUPSA
Published Feb 2023
Video
Kasra Khalaj, MSc, PhD - Best of the Best in Pediatric Surgery 2024
Dr. Todd Ponsky · 7 min · Published Feb 2024
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Inside a FETO Procedure: Fetoscopic Balloon Tracheal Occlusion with Dr. Beth Rymeski
4 min · Published Jul 2026
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Dr. Marietta Jank - Best of the Best in Pediatric Surgery 2025
Dr. Todd Ponsky · 8 min · Published Mar 2025
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EUPSA - MicroRNAs in amniotic fluid stem cellextracellular vesicles modulate lung development in experimental congenital diaphragmatic hernia - Kasra Khalaj
10 min · Published May 2022
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CAPS - Administration of amniotic fluid stem cell extracellular vesicles regenerates the lung epithelium in fetal rats with CDH at translationally relevant developmental stages - Kasra Khalaj
7 min · Published May 2022
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Clinical & Research Update: Renal Tumors with Drs. Ethan Smith, Lindsay Haacker, Michael Daugherty, and Meera Kotagal
71 min · Published Sep 2026
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Clinical & Research Update: Neuroblastoma with Drs. Katherine Somers, Cara Morin, Juan Gurria, and Meera Kotagal
67 min · Published Sep 2026
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Clinical & Research Update: Sarcoma w/ Drs. Roshni Dasgupta, Joseph Pressey, Arthur Meyer, Luke Pater
66 min · Published Sep 2026
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2026 Laparoscopic Pediatric Hernia Repair
123 min · Published Jun 2026
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Beyond the Spectrum: Diagnosis, Myths & Management - Caitlin Couch & Leslie Lopez - APP Conference 2026
50 min · Published May 2026
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Dysautonomia: Navigating the Journey - Martha Willis - APP Conference 2026
55 min · Published May 2026
What the experts said
Fetal lung vascular remodeling predisposes fetuses with CDH to postnatal pulmonary hypertension, which plays a central role in the poor outcomes of these babies.
The prenatal period offers a window of opportunity to promote normal lung development in CDH.
No antenatal treatments tested to date have been successful in fully rescuing normal lung development in CDH.
AFSEVs promote growth and maturation in fetal hypoplastic lungs via the release of RNA cargo.
Vascular density was rescued back to normal levels after AFSEV administration in rat CDH lungs.
Vascular remodeling was attenuated in CDH treated lungs after AFSEV administration.
Angiogenic factors were rescued back to normal levels after AFSEV treatment in rat CDH lungs.
AFSEVs attenuated the severity of right ventricular hypertrophy in CDH hearts.
Vascular density was restored by AFSEV treatment in human fetal lung explant model of pulmonary hypoplasia.
Vascular remodeling was attenuated in hypoplastic treated human fetal lungs after AFSEV administration.
Angiogenic factors were rescued back to normal levels after AFSEV treatment in human fetal hypoplastic lungs.
Single nucleus RNA sequencing revealed a striking difference between control and CDH in the pattern and distribution of endothelial cells, which was rescued to normal distribution following AFSEV treatment.
245 differentially expressed genes that regulate vasculogenesis and angiogenesis were down-regulated in CDH lungs and up-regulated in CDH treated lungs.
AFSEV cargo contains microRNAs that control processes like angiogenesis and proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells.
Ongoing studies in large animals are being conducted to determine the right dose, route, and whether multiple administrations are needed for AFSEV treatment.
AFSEVs themselves are less immunogenic than isolated microRNAs and deliver the whole cargo, not only the microRNAs.
AFSEVs administered to the mother intravenously can reach the fetal lungs.
A New England Journal of Medicine paper described enzyme replacement therapy administered via umbilical vein multiple times (at least six times every second week).