Remember our story from earlier this week, about the artificial womb for premature babies? Well, now there’s a video of the experiment in action.
A video released by US researchers shows the BioBag in action. This is a major step towards improving the chance of survival for preemies, and has been hailed as a ‘heroic and monumental’ effort.
“Our system could prevent the severe morbidity suffered by extremely premature infants by potentially offering a medical technology that does not currently exist,” said study leader Alan Flake, a foetal surgeon at CHOP.
In the study, researchers used eight lamb foetuses that were 105 to 115 days old - a level of development comparable to a 23-week-old human foetus. The lambs’ prenatal lung development is closely similar to that occurring in humans.
The BioBag mimics life in utero as closely as possible. The lambs were placed in the bags with a continuous flow of nutrient-rich liquid that served as amniotic fluid. An oxygenator circuit acts as the mother’s placenta and is used to give oxygen to the developing lungs. The umbilical artery pumps blood into the oxygenator for the crucial exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Electronic monitors measure vital signs, blood flow and other crucial functions.
“Foetal lungs are designed to function in fluid, and we simulate that environment here, allowing the lungs and other organs to develop, while supplying nutrients and growth factors,” said Foetal Physiologist Marcus Davey.
As the lambs floated in the bag, their brains and organs developed normally. The pink lambs opened their eyes, fattened up, and grew coats of white wool.
The leading researchers in the project were Emily Patridge, Dr. Macus Davey and Dr. Alan Flake.
The idea into developing artificial womb conditions for premature babies came first from CHOP Research Fellow Emily Partridge, based on her experience in caring for critically premature infants.
“Those infants really struck a chord with me,” she said, ultimately researching existing studies on premature development, and pitching the pilot programme to Dr. Flake.
Dr. Flake hopes that if this success with the lambs could translate to humans, that in 10 years, extremely premature infants would continue to develop in chambers filled with amniotic fluid, rather than the current system of placing them in incubators.
“This system is potentially far superior to what hospitals can currently do for a 23-week-old baby born at the cusp of viability. This could establish a new standard of care for this subset of extremely premature infants.”
The research team was eager to emphasise that its aim is to provide a safe transition to the outside world for the baby; and that their intentions are absolutely not to replace the woman’s womb to develop life.
