Artificial wombs and the promise for premature babies - Science Weekly podcast

In October, a team of Dutch researchers wereawarded a grant of €2.9m to develop a working prototype of an artificial womb for use in the clinic. But they are not the only ones working on this kind of technology. In 2017, a team in Philadelphia createdthe ‘biobag’, which could sustain premature lambs. Both teams hope their artificial wombs could allow premature babies to continue to develop as they would in a real womb, improving their chance of survival.Nicola Davis asks: What does current neonatal intensive care look like? Would an artificial womb really offer benefits? And what ethical and legal implications could arise if the technology is pursued?Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Premature birth Science Reproduction Biology Society Law Ethics Childbirth Health & wellbeing Source Type: news