BARCELONA: Researchers in Barcelona are trying to "trick nature" by creating an artificial womb for extremely premature babies after tests on animals kept foetuses alive for 12 days.
Their artificial placenta prototype recreates a protective environment with a translucent container made of biocompatible material inside which the foetus' lungs, intestines and brain can continue to develop.
It is connected to an amniotic fluid circulation system that maintains the foetus isolated from external stimuli but accessible for ultrasound controls and monitoring.
Babies born after six months of pregnancy or less are considered extremely premature with a high risk of death or disability. The World Health Organization's latest figures show that around 900,000 such babies died worldwide in 2019.
"We try to develop a system that allows us to keep a foetus outside its mother but still in the foetal conditions: that it continues to breathe through the umbilical cord ... that we can feed it through the umbilical cord, that it lives surrounded by fluid at a constant temperature," project head Eduard Gratacos told Reuters.
He leads a team of 35 from BCNatal medical research centre - a fusion of the maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics departments of two Barcelona hospitals - and Fundacion La Caixa, a private organisation funded by Caixabank CABK.MC.
'EXTREMELY DELICATE'
The team has conducted pre-clinical studies with lambs, where they achieved 12-day foetus survival, and plans to also test with pigs before proposing a human trial in a few years.
"The highly-complex project spans many different specialties of medicine and requires engineers of different types. It's a challenge, it's extremely delicate to achieve this, to trick nature to make this possible," Gratacos said.
Among a few such projects worldwide, one group of scientists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia managed to keep animal foetuses alive for 28 days.
Kelly Werner, assistant professor of paediatrics at Columbia University, told the Science Media Centre the Spanish team's positive results must be rigorously tested in clinical trials on humans to check for safety and side effects.
"Although it is an exciting development, the artificial placenta is not intended to replace a natural placenta," Werner said. "That is, despite these advancements, we still should make every effort to support maternal health and decrease risk factors that lead to preterm birth."
Reuters
Sat Jul 01 2023
A premature lamb fetus is seen inside an artificial womb developed by researchers from BCNatal in Barcelona, Spain. - La Caixa Foundation/REUTERS
Polis siasat dakwaan buli di sekolah berasrama penuh di KL
Polis sedang menjalankan siasatan berhubung dakwaan berlaku kejadian buli membabitkan anak seorang penyanyi dan beberapa individu lain di sebuah sekolah berasrama penuh di ibu negara.
Peruntukan tebatan banjir Sungai Damansara diluluskan, kurangkan risiko di Sungai Buloh
Peruntukan berjumlah RM481 juta bagi Projek Tebatan Banjir Sungai Damansara telah diluluskan sebagai usaha mengurangkan risiko banjir di kawasan Parlimen Sungai Buloh.
AWANI 7:45 [05/10/2024] – Tunggu perkenan Majlis Raja-Raja | Inflasi dan gaji jadi tumpuan | Kes terpencil | Zionis terus angkuh
- Tiga negeri fatwakan GISB sesat, siasatan libat 10 peruntukan
- Belanjawan 2025 tumpu isu inflasi dan naik gaji
- Kekecohan libat warga Palestin mungkin sebab stress, ATM tangani dengan profesional
- Gaza hancur lebur, Beirut hampiri kemusnahan
- Belanjawan 2025 tumpu isu inflasi dan naik gaji
- Kekecohan libat warga Palestin mungkin sebab stress, ATM tangani dengan profesional
- Gaza hancur lebur, Beirut hampiri kemusnahan
Pekebun boleh kemuka tuntutan akibat serangan haiwan liar
Pekebun yang mengalami kerugian hasil tanaman akibat ancaman haiwan liar boleh mengemukakan tuntutan pampasan terhadap kerosakan yang berlaku.
AWANI Ringkas: GISB Holdings | Kes tembakan di Song | PR1MA
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Lelaki rugi RM224,000 terperdaya skim pelaburan tidak wujud
Seorang lelaki warga tempatan berputih mata apabila kerugian RM224,000 setelah terperdaya dengan skim pelaburan tidak wujud yang diiklankan menerusi aplikasi WhastApp.
#AWANIRingkas 5 Oktober 2024 | 9 PM
Berikut merupakan rangkuman berita setakat 9 malam, 5 Oktober 2024
1️⃣ Siasatan membabitkan 10 peruntukan undang-undang
2️⃣ KDN sahkan seorang anggota polis terlibat
3️⃣ Projek sakit dijangka siap menjelang hujung 2024
#awaniringkas
1️⃣ Siasatan membabitkan 10 peruntukan undang-undang
2️⃣ KDN sahkan seorang anggota polis terlibat
3️⃣ Projek sakit dijangka siap menjelang hujung 2024
#awaniringkas
Serangan gajah: Perhilitan terus pantau Kampung Basung
Perhilitan Terengganu akan meneruskan pemantauan di Kampung Basung di Kuala Berang bagi mengesan gajah liar yang menyebabkan kematian warga emas hari ini.
Ekonomi penjagaan berpotensi hasil pendapatan baharu untuk negeri - Saarani
Kerajaan Perak melihat potensi ekonomi penjagaan sebagai satu daripada pendapatan baharu yang berdaya maju untuk negeri itu, kata Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
Polis tahan pegawai tentera kerana cabul kakitangan bawahan
Seorang pegawai tentera ditahan kerana disyaki mencabul kakitangan bawahannya sebanyak beberapa kali di sebuah premis kerajaan di Kok Lanas, Kota Bharu.