Human trials of artificial wombs could start soon. Here’s what you need to know

Artificial-womb technology aims to improve outcomes for preterm babies.

US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) will convene a meeting of independent advisers on September to discuss regulatory and ethical considerations and what human trials for the technology might look like.

Preterm birth is the largest cause of death and disability in children under five .

Artificial-womb technology is most focused on providing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.

CHOP group has signalled that it would wean babies off its system after a few weeks .

System would work by placing premature babies into what it calls a Biobag , filled with an electrolyte-laden fluid.

Surgeons would connect the blood vessels in the umbilical cord to a system that oxygenates blood outside the body.

Questions remain about what data will be required to get the green light for human trials.

Non-human primates are a gold-standard animal model to precede clinical trials because of their physiological similarities to humans.

But their fetuses are even smaller than those of humans, and ethics of conducting such experiments are complex.