In early-stage animal testing, extremely premature lambs grew, apparently normally, inside the system for three to four weeks, the team reported on Tuesday. "We start with a tiny foetus that is pretty inert and spends most of its time sleeping. The device is simpler than previous attempts at creating an artificial womb, which have not yet panned out. The researchers tested five lambs whose biological age was equivalent to 23-week human premies, and three others a bit older. Flake stressed that the womb-like system is not intended to support premies any younger than today's limits of viability -- not what he calls the more "sensationalistic'' idea of artificially growing embryos.

Source: Bangkok Post April 26, 2017 10:30 UTC