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Ex Utero Artificial Womb Support: Promising Future for Extremely Preterm Infants
Julia Wawrla-Zepf1, Alan W Flake2
1Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Clinics in Perinatology
|June 11, 2026
Summary
Extremely preterm infants face severe health risks. Artificial womb and artificial placenta technologies aim to improve survival and reduce complications by treating these infants as fetuses, moving closer to clinical application.
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.
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