The idea of artificial wombs, once a concept of science fiction, is beginning to take shape in the real world. This emerging technology, although still in its early stages, has the potential to revolutionize neonatal care and reproductive health, particularly for premature babies. However, the implications of this advance are not limited to medicine alone; they also raise ethical, political, and social questions about the future of reproduction.
The development of artificial wombs
One of the most promising developments in the field of artificial wombs has been the work of various institutions aiming to improve the survival rates of premature babies, those born before 24 weeks of gestation. However, as noted by the principal investigator of an artificial womb project at the Australian Women and Babies Research Foundation, Matt Kemp, one of the major challenges lies in the lack of adequate studies with animals of a weight comparable to that of the smallest neonates.
Kemp highlights that experiments with extremely premature lambs (with an average weight of less than 650g) in artificial wombs have resulted in cases of repeated heart failure and death, suggesting serious obstacles to overcome before considering human trials.
In the Netherlands, the collaborative project Perinatal Life Support has chosen to avoid, at least for now, animal studies, replacing them with computational models and silicone “babies” equipped with sensors and movable limbs. While this methodology seems more ethical, it remains to be seen how regulators will value the data generated from these experiments.
Another issue that Kemp highlights is that none of the current research is trying to replicate the immune and hormonal signals that the fetus receives from its mother in the womb. This is because these processes are too complex and still poorly understood, which has led some to prefer the term “artificial placenta” instead of “artificial womb,” recognizing that current devices only provide mechanical life support functions and do not recreate the chemical environment of the natural womb.
The ideal candidates and ethical dilemmas
One of the biggest dilemmas facing artificial womb technology is deciding which premature babies would be the ideal candidates to receive this type of experimental treatment. Neonates born after 24 weeks of gestation have a higher likelihood of surviving with conventional care, making it unethical to use an experimental approach in cases with good expectations. On the other hand, the most premature babies tend to be the sickest, with complications arising from infections or inflammations, which reduces their chances of surviving the physiological demands of a life support system like ECMO.
Moreover, the results vary significantly between hospitals in the United States, where some elite centers achieve much higher survival rates for 22-week-old babies compared to the national average. Even, on occasions, they have managed to keep alive babies born at just 21 weeks of gestation, which complicates the creation of general guidelines on when it is appropriate to resort to an artificial womb.
Colossal Biosciences and the ambition of de-extinction
Meanwhile, the biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences, famous for its ambitious “de-extinction” project of the woolly mammoth, is working on a more advanced version of artificial wombs with the aim of creating a “complete ectogenesis system.”
This system would not only be capable of gestating extinct animals but could also be applied in the conservation of endangered species, such as the northern white rhinoceros. According to its co-founder, Ben Lamm, if they manage to grow 50 genetically diverse rhinoceroses in a laboratory, this could forever change species conservation.
The development of such technology could, eventually, open doors for its application in humans, expanding reproductive options for people who cannot have biological children. The combination of this technology with other advances in reproduction, such as cloning or artificial gametogenesis, could make the birth of human beings completely outside of a maternal womb possible.
The future of reproduction
The development of artificial wombs, if achieved, could not only extend fertility windows and allow more people to become parents, but it could also profoundly transform the role of women in society. Some bioethicists are already discussing the possible consequences of this technology, suggesting that it could free women from the physiological burdens of reproduction, or, in the worst-case scenario, reduce their value in a society that might see gestation as an obsolete process.
As studies in this area advance, many questions arise: What would it mean for a person to know that they were conceived and born in artificial wombs? Could artificial wombs help liberate women or simply create new forms of biotechnological exploitation? And, even more alarmingly, could this technology be used for sinister purposes, such as the mass creation of genetically modified humans to be used as soldiers or slaves?
Decades ago, in vitro fertilization (IVF) generated a similar moral panic, with people fearing that “hell would break loose” and that factories of fetuses in test tubes would be created. Those fears never materialized, and today IVF is an accepted technology that has brought happiness to millions. Perhaps the same fate awaits artificial wombs.
However, it is clear that the path towards complete ectogenesis remains fraught with challenges, both technical and ethical. What seems certain is that if the development of this technology continues to advance, human reproduction could change drastically sooner than we think. Maybe in a few years we’ll see clinics full of artificial wombs like in The Matrix.
