REVISTA DYNA NEW TECHNOLOGIES

The Eindhoven University of Technology presented the results of their project in 2019 and they have been tested on hundreds of lambs (see figure) and some piglets, but animal models cannot fully predict how the technology will work in humans. In lamb foetuses, survival for a further four weeks in these "biobags" filled with appropriate fluid has been tested.
In this case, births at or before 28 weeks gestation are referred to as "extremely preterm" births. The survival rate of those born at 28 weeks gestation is estimated to be between 80-90%, with a 10% survival rate for subsequent problems, with the survival rate worsening as the length of time in the womb decreases, despite the use of modern incubators. For example, only about 30% of those born at 22 weeks survive, and just under 56% at 23 weeks, according to a 2022 study.
As a current definition, an artificial womb is an experimental medical device intended to provide a womb-like environment for extremely premature babies. In most technologies, the baby would float in a transparent "biobag", surrounded by fluid. The idea is that premature babies could spend a few weeks developing in this device after birth, so that when they emerge from the device, they would be better able to survive and have fewer complications with conventional treatment.
However, in September this year, advisors from the US Food and Drug Administration met to discuss how to move research on artificial wombs from animals to humans. They believe that "the most difficult challenge to answer is how much unknowns are acceptable as this research moves out of the laboratory and into early human trials". The device closest to being tested, called EXTrauterine Environment for Newborn Development (EXTEND), appears to enclose the baby in a container filled with lab-made amniotic fluid. It was invented by Alan Flake and Marcus Davey at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is being developed by Vitara Biomedical. The test subject must be delivered by caesarean section and immediately have tubes inserted into the umbilical cord before being transferred to the fluid-filled container. It is proposed that this technology will first be used on babies born at 22 to 23 weeks who do not have much chance of surviving successfully.