Artificial womb for premature babies

A team from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has successfully tested an artificial womb they developed on prematurely born lambs.

It was observed that while inside the sac, the animals "opened their eyes, became more active, and showed normal breathing and swallowing movements."

The main reason half of prematurely born babies do not survive is that their lungs are not fully developed due to premature birth.

The team conducted 300 successful tests using artificial wombs. As a result of these tests, it was determined that the animals showed normal brain development and were able to be nourished in a balanced way, as if they were being fed by their mothers.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met with experts to discuss the use of the artificial womb, called "EXTEND," in human trials, and a decision is expected to be announced towards the end of this year.

15 MILLION PREMATURE BABIES EVERY YEAR

A baby is usually born between 37 and 40 weeks. However, babies born at 28 weeks or earlier are defined as premature. Worldwide, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year.

Most of the problems premature babies face stem from the lungs not being mature. The artificial womb works by replicating the exact environment the baby had before birth.

The artificial womb allows the fetus to breathe by connecting the umbilical cord to an oxygenator that provides blood circulation and by placing the fetus into a fluid-filled sac that mimics the womb.

The lambs observed in the experiment were born between 106 and 113 days, which is the biological equivalent of a 23-24 week premature human infant.

It was determined that the initial experiments on prematurely born lambs kept them alive and that the animals showed healthy development in their lungs, brains, and other organs.

The successful experiments conducted on lambs led the FDA to consider approving the start of human trials. A decision regarding human trials will be announced towards the end of the year.