Ex Utero Artificial Womb Support: Promising Future for Extremely Preterm Infants

Area of Science:

• Neonatal medicine
• Biomedical engineering
• Developmental biology

Background:

• Extremely preterm infants (born before 28 weeks' gestation) have high risks of chronic lung disease and neurodevelopmental impairment.
• Organ immaturity and iatrogenic injury contribute to poor outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
• Current neonatal care practices may not adequately address the unique vulnerabilities of extremely preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the rationale for developing artificial womb (AW) and artificial placenta (AP) technologies.
• To differentiate between AW and AP technologies and describe their characteristics.
• To review experimental progress and identify challenges for the clinical translation of AW and AP.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on artificial womb and artificial placenta technologies.
• Analysis of experimental data and technological advancements.
• Identification of key challenges in transitioning these technologies to clinical practice.

Main Results:

• Artificial womb and artificial placenta technologies have been investigated for over 60 years.
• Recent advancements suggest these technologies are nearing human application.
• Significant experimental progress has been made, but challenges remain for clinical translation.

Conclusions:

• Artificial womb and artificial placenta technologies offer a promising approach to improve outcomes for extremely preterm infants.
• Treating extremely preterm infants as fetuses using these technologies could mitigate risks associated with organ immaturity and iatrogenic injury.
• Further research and development are crucial to overcome remaining challenges and enable clinical implementation.