Artificial Womb

Prof. Guid Oei studied at the medical school of Leiden University in the Netherlands, where he obtained an MD degree and a PhD degree. His PHD thesis focused on the work-up of infertility patients. As a gynecologist, he specialized in the treatment of preterm birth at Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide, Australia. He has been working at the Máxima Medical Center in Eindhoven since 1996. He is founder and chairman of the research group Fundamental Perinatology. As a clinical professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, he acts as a bridge between engineers and doctors leading to high-tech innovations in patient care. He is the co-founder of several MedTech start-up companies, including AquaWomb, which aims to bring the artificial womb for preterm infants to patients. He is also a (co-)inventor of three patents related to artificial womb technology. Additionally, he co-founded the Eindhoven MedTech Innovation Center, is the founder and honorary chairman of the Dutch Association for Simulation in Healthcare, the former chairman of the Dutch Association for Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the founder of the Training for Life Foundation.Guid Oei is (co)author of more than 350 scientific papers and book chapters. In 2017, Guid Oei was knighted as an officer in the Order of Orange Nassau. In 2018, together with engineer professor Frans van de Vosse, he initiated the Perinatal Life support project for the development of an artificial placenta and amniotic system for extremely premature babies. The project is funded with subsidies from the European Commission, the Dutch government and the Eindhoven region. The Eindhoven group leads an international consortium consisting of all Dutch Academic Hospitals and Technical Universities, as well as leading research groups from Europe, North America and Australia with the aim of bringing the artificial womb for premature babies to clinical application.

• What is an artificial womb.- Why do people want to develop babies outside the female body.- Ethical considerations on ectogenesis .- The artificial womb in historic perspective .- The artificial uterus: growing the embryo .- The artificial amnion: protecting the fetus from the outside world.- The artificial placenta: feeding the immature infant.- The artificial womb: state of the art .- The artificial womb: problems to be solved.- The artificial womb: future perspectives.