The first artificial uterus to help premature babies
The future is about to come true, at least as far as this branch of science and medicine is concerned: the creation of the first artificial womb.
Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology have received 2.9 million euros in funding for their project to build an artificial womb for premature babies.
This important figure, provided by the European Horizon fund, comes a year after the project was presented for the first time at Dutch Design Week. Now, thanks to the funds available, it will be possible to produce a working prototype within five years.
The ultimate goal is to help extremely premature babies get through the critical period between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. The chances of survival for these babies are low, with around half of babies born at 24 weeks unfortunately failing to survive . And those who do survive often suffer lifelong chronic ailments from neurological damage, respiratory problems, and eye conditions, which can in many cases result in blindness.
Guid Oei, a Dutch university professor and gynecologist at the Maxima Medical Center said current approaches to saving premature babies are problematic precisely because these babies do not yet have fully developed lungs or intestines. Therefore, attempts to deliver oxygen or nutrients directly to these organs can be harmful.
The artificial uterus, on the other hand, would solve this problem and save many children who are born very prematurely.
The artificial womb
According to Frans van de Vosse , project coordinator and professor of cardiovascular biomechanics, the project will require the contribution of various technologies.
The artificial uterus would provide real biological conditions compared to the incubators currently in use. The baby would be protected with fluids and oxygen, and supplied with all the nutrients necessary for its growth and maturation. This would be made possible through an artificial placenta that connects to their umbilical cord.
The extremely premature baby would then be transferred to this extracorporeal uterine environment where the fetal organs can develop to maturity.
Perinatal Life Solution will help deliver nutrients and oxygen with the help of the fetal umbilical cord connected to an artificial placenta. The liquid-based environment will also help support fetal cardiorespiratory physiology and help avoid the adverse effects of air-based ventilation on infants’ underdeveloped lungs.
They are trying to recreate the conditions closest to the mother’s womb. The artificial womb will not be a plastic bag but will recreate the baby’s experience in the mother’s womb, including the sound of the mother’s heartbeat.
In fact, according to the researchers, when they find themselves in this artificial environment, babies will have to hear, see, smell and hear the same sounds as when they are in the mother’s womb.
University researchers have also developed a kind of “doll” that can accurately simulate extremely premature babies in an intensive care unit. This will allow the artificial uterus to be evaluated in a realistic test context or before it is used in clinics.
The doll is actually a very technological device as it contains a series of sensors that are used to monitor the uterine environment created.
The ethical implications
A system of this type is not without ethical implications.
Which children will have to test the device? Because although we use dolls to monitor the test environment, sooner or later we will have to test it on a real child.
Will it be possible to turn off the artificial womb? Under what circumstances?
Could this artificial gestation one day become an alternative to complete natural gestation?
Will it be useful for those born without a uterus or who have had to remove it due to a disease, or can it also be chosen by those who do not want to undergo the changes that pregnancy brings to a woman’s body? (NB: These considerations emerge from the interview with the researchers in the video in this article)
The legal and ethical implications accompanying new technology will need to be discussed now, before the artificial womb truly becomes a reality.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.