Skip to main content

Previous

When molecular mimicry fails, autoimmune disease prevails

Next

Budgie hell: investigating inheritance

BIOETHICS

Growing babies outside the body

Complete ectogenesis would allow babies to be grown entirely outside the human body. Medical law and ethics researcher Anna Nelson discusses whether we should develop this technology, and who should have access to it if we do

Not everyone who wants to have a baby is able to. For some people, pregnancy might be a risk to their health, while others (such as trans women and male same-sex couples) lack the necessary organs. Complete ectogenesis is a currently hypothetical procedure that would allow gestation to take place entirely outside the human body. If it became possible, it would provide an alternative to pregnancy and childbirth. An embryo would be created in vitro, using the same procedure currently used for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) (see Figure 1). The embryo would then be transferred to an artificial womb to complete gestation, mimicking conditions in the human uterus.

In 2017, scientists at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia created the ‘biobag’, an artificial womb device (see Figure 2). They tested it using lambs that had been delivered from their mothers extremely prematurely – at the very limit of viability. After delivery, each lamb was transferred to a biobag, where it successfully completed gestation. Some of the lambs were euthanised soon after birth to allow scientists to examine them but a small number were allowed to live and appeared to develop normally.

Your organisation does not have access to this article.

Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise

Subscribe

Previous

When molecular mimicry fails, autoimmune disease prevails

Next

Budgie hell: investigating inheritance

Related articles: