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Artificial womb
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An artificial womb or artificial uterus is a device that allows for extracorporeal pregnancy,[2] by growing a fetus outside the body of an organism that would normally carry the fetus to term.[3] An artificial uterus, as a replacement organ, could have many applications. It could be used to assist male or female couples in the development of a fetus.[2] This can potentially be performed as a switch from a natural uterus to an artificial uterus, thereby moving the threshold of fetal viability to a much earlier stage of pregnancy.[2] In this sense, it can be regarded as a neonatal incubator with very extended functions. It could also be used for the initiation of fetal development.[2] An artificial uterus could also help make fetal surgery procedures at an early stage an option instead of having to postpone them until term of pregnancy.[2]
An artificial uterus or incubator can also serve as a tool for wildlife conservation and de-extinction by eliminating the need for surrogate animals and mass-increasing numbers for critically endangered species such as the sand tiger shark.[4][5] In addition, some recently extinct species can only be conceived through an artificial womb, as they are too distinct from their closest living relatives.[6]
In 2016, scientists published two studies regarding human embryos developing for thirteen days within an ecto-uterine environment.[7][8] In 2017, fetal researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia published a study showing they had grown premature lamb fetuses for four weeks in an extra-uterine life support system.[1][9][10] A 14-day rule prevents human embryos from being kept in artificial wombs longer than 14 days; this rule has been codified into law in twelve countries.[11] In 2021, The Washington Post reported that "the International Society for Stem Cell Research relaxed a historical '14-day rule' that said researchers could grow natural embryos for only 14 days in the laboratory, allowing researchers to seek approval for longer studies"; but the article nonetheless specified that: "[h]uman embryo models are banned from being implanted into a uterus."[12]
- ^ a b Partridge, Emily A.; Davey, Marcus G.; Hornick, Matthew A.; McGovern, Patrick E.; Mejaddam, Ali Y.; Vrecenak, Jesse D.; Mesas-Burgos, Carmen; Olive, Aliza; Caskey, Robert C.; Weiland, Theodore R.; Han, Jiancheng; Schupper, Alexander J.; Connelly, James T.; Dysart, Kevin C.; Rychik, Jack; Hedrick, Holly L.; Peranteau, William H.; Flake, Alan W. (25 April 2017). "An extra-uterine system to physiologically support the extreme premature lamb". Nature Communications. 8: 15112. Bibcode:2017NatCo...815112P. doi:10.1038/ncomms15112. PMC 5414058. PMID 28440792.
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- ^ a b c d e Bulletti, C.; Palagiano, A.; Pace, C.; Cerni, A.; Borini, A.; De Ziegler, D. (2011). "The artificial womb". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1221 (1): 124–128. Bibcode:2011NYASA1221..124B. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.05999.x. PMID 21401640. S2CID 30872357.
- ^ Romanis, Elizabeth Chloe (2018). "Artificial womb technology and the frontiers of human reproduction: conceptual differences and potential implications". Journal of Medical Ethics. 44 (11): 751–755. doi:10.1136/medethics-2018-104910. PMC 6252373. PMID 30097459.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Platt, John. "Artificial uterus could save grey nurse shark from extinction". Scientific American. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Shahbazi, Marta N.; Jedrusik, Agnieszka; Vuoristo, Sanna; Recher, Gaelle; Hupalowska, Anna; Bolton, Virginia; Fogarty, Norah M. E.; Campbell, Alison; Devito, Liani G.; Ilic, Dusko; Khalaf, Yakoub; Niakan, Kathy K.; Fishel, Simon; Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena (4 May 2016). "Self-organization of the human embryo in the absence of maternal tissues". Nature Cell Biology. 18 (6). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 700–708. doi:10.1038/ncb3347. ISSN 1465-7392. PMC 5049689. PMID 27144686.
- ^ Deglincerti, Alessia; Croft, Gist F.; Pietila, Lauren N.; Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena; Siggia, Eric D.; Brivanlou, Ali H. (4 May 2016). "Self-organization of the in vitro attached human embryo". Nature. 533 (7602). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 251–254. Bibcode:2016Natur.533..251D. doi:10.1038/nature17948. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 27144363. S2CID 4461915.
- ^ Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of (28 February 2017). "A Unique Womb-Like Device Could Reduce Mortality and Disability for Extremely Premature Babies". www.chop.edu.
- ^ "Scientists Create Artificial Womb That Could Help Prematurely Born Babies". NPR.org.
- ^ Morber, Jenny (26 April 2017). "Should We Study Human Embryos Beyond 14 Days?". PBS Socal. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Carolyn Y. (1 August 2022). "Scientists create synthetic mouse embryos, a potential key to healing humans". The Washington Post.
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