Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Could Help Repair Cleft Palate

An accomplished lacrosse player, Charlotte de Vries is also a dedicated community volunteer who has given her time to nonprofits such as T&E Care and the Chester County Food Bank. Moreover, Charlotte de Vries has participated in multiple fundraising events in support of Operation Smile.

In addition to conducting hundreds of medical missions worldwide to provide life-changing surgery to individuals with cleft lip or cleft palate, Operation Smile operates research programs to better understand the cause of cleft and provide better care to its patients. One recent breakthrough that could effect newborns with cleft involves a discovery laid out in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery in October 2018. Dr. Alejandro Garcia Botero of Hospital De San Jose in Colombia and his colleagues diagnosed cleft lip and palate on a fetus via ultrasound and, months after its birth, performed a procedure utilizing stem cells to correct it. 

Following the delivery of the baby girl, a sample of her umbilical cord blood was obtained to isolate stem cells, which were subsequently processed and frozen for later use. After a few months of undergoing a nasoalveolar shaping procedure to align soft tissues in her upper jaw, the baby underwent “boneless” bone grafting surgery in which the collected stem cells were put in a small pocket of soft tissue to bridge the gap in her upper jaw. A follow-up confirmed the growth of new bone, and imaging scans performed when the girl was five years old showed significant improvement in bone thickness where the cleft had been.

Operation Smile’s Extended Efforts in Morocco

A Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, high school student, Charlotte de Vries has a passion for giving back to her community through activities such as clothing drives and working for food pantries. A field hockey coach, Charlotte de Vries donates a significant amount of money earned by giving lessons to nonprofit organizations such as Operation Smile. 

Operation Smile assists children with cleft palates or cleft lips in overcoming these treatable conditions. Ongoing medical efforts include a recent local mission in Dnoun Lahder, Morocco, part of an effort encompassing three dozen cities across the country over the past two decades. 

With a year-round care center based in Casablanca, Operation Smile’s Moroccan volunteer network includes 250 physicians and non-medical staff members. No-cost reconstructive surgery has been provided to 7,500 patients across the country, along with dental care focused on those with facial deformities.

The organization offers similar programs in countries from Ghana to the Dominican Public.