REAL LIFE IMITATES SCIENCE FICTION: ARTIFICIAL WOMBS INCUBATE LAMBS
by Hazed
I can think of several science fiction books where artificial wombs are used to incubate babies, thus freeing women from the strains and restrictions of pregnancy. Now real life is starting to catch up, because scientists have created a plastic womb that has successfully incubated eight premature lambs.
The technology has been developed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and its aim is to keep premature babies alive and healthy. It consists of a plastic bag filled with a liquid that simulates amniotic fluid. Two tubes are attached, one sucking blood out of the infant and running it through an oxygenator, then the other pumping the blood back into the body.
In tests, all eight of the lambs emerged with no ill effects, and the doctors behind the project say they will be ready to trial the artificial wombs on humans within three years.
In the US, each year around 30,000 are born prematurely. This early birth can cause problems for the rest of the person’s life, for example the babies’ lungs are under-developed and not able to inhale air properly. As a result, the premature babies can suffer high levels of lung and brain illnesses – and that’s if they survive.
The new artificial womb is designed to allow the babies to continue developing in an environment that mimics the natural conditions of the womb. They can inhale fluids, and a technological equivalent of a placenta will feed them oxygen and nutrients. The lambs in the test were played the sound of a sheep’s heartbeat, and the wombs were in a dark room, thus mimicking natural conditions as closely as possible.
The project was started three years ago by doctors with no funding cobbling together a prototype, using parts from eBay and brewing shops. Now they think they have perfected the system.
Should human testing prove successful this could save the lives of many premature babies – and maybe one day all babies could be gestated in artificial wombs!
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/26/artificial_womb_for_preemie_sheep/
