Artificial Womb Technology and the Future of Human Reproduction - Term Paper Example

THE ARTIFICIAL UTERUS Number Content 0 Introduction 3 2.0 REPORT 2 Rationale for the Format 4 2.2 Structure of the technology roadmap 6 3.0 KEY ISSUES 7 3.1 Consideration of Earlier Efforts on the Technology 7 3.1.1 Submersion 8 3.1.2 Inflammatogenicity and thrombogenicity 8 3.1.3 Cannulation 9 3.2 Developing the Artificial Uterus 7 3.2.1 Artificial Endometrium 9 3.2.2 The artificial placenta 10 3.2.3 Synthetic amniotic fluid 10 4.0 Key Issue to be Addressed in the Technology’s Future Development 11 5.0 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 PART 1 1.0 Introduction The availability of machine controlled hearts and kidneys present a new perspective for the creation of a new uterus. Ectogenesis is a term that describes the way human pregnancy will be replaced by artificial wombs. An artificial womb is any device capable of nurturing embryonic development past what is achievable by cell culture techniques in a dish (Guenin 2008, pg.245). The uterus would be able to provide nutrients and nurture the fetus and dispose of waste materials. This paper discusses artificial uterus as a technology of choice, as well as the technology roadmap that sets out key milestones and activities occurring in the course of developing the technology, milestones in technical development required in the future, and key activities for supporting future technical as well as commercial development of the project. In addition, other relevant factors for its past or its future are considered. The milestone in developing the artificial uterus can be attributed to development of the artificial placenta. A significant progress in the pump technology and the oxygenator has allowed the development of the artificial uterus to focus in the direction of the physiological role model in the coming years. Again, this development has been enhanced by the invention of the novel pump-less assist device. The milestones required in the technical development in the future include submersion, inflammatogenicity and thrombogenicity, and cannulation. These requirements are discussed further in the paper. They are initiated in the presence of various aspects that are considered in the development of the artificial uterus such as artificial endometrium, artificial placenta, and synthetic amniotic fluid. For the artificial endometrium, the interior lining of the uterus has to have the same features as the natural one. Regarding the artificial placenta, it has to in a position of developing on the endometrial wall or as an external device and its capacity has to allow nutrients, gaseous exchange and eliminate waste products. The synthetic amniotic fluid on the other hand would be considered an important component in the success of the project. Regarding its future market, the development of the artificial uterus is a safer way for women. Ladies will able to have children without the cost of labor pains or cesarean surgery scars. Moreover, it gives women, who have childbearing difficulties, the opportunity to have children. Women will have the liberty that would not have come with having a normal pregnancy, as keeping up with their careers. During the period that a woman is expecting, her activities are limited. Coupled with the safety concerns that artificial uterus comes with, this is the way for the future. Ectogenesis offers an alternative to surrogate motherhood for women that are not capable of pregnancy. The category of these is women who have a hysterectomy and those health problems. Their fertile eggs are collected by laparoscopy and fertilized using their partner’s sperm and then the embryo developed in a test tube. Kuwabara design aimed at helping women who have miscarriages or premature births while Liu intended to help women with difficulty in conceiving (McKie 2002). PART 2 2.0 REPORT 2.1 Rationale for the Format The rationale for developing a road map of artificial uterus technology includes the fundamental ideologies behind the road map structure, all details about the technology development as well as the major reason for developing the artificial uterus technology. This technology would be important because anyone, whether single or married; male or female; young or old; heterosexual or gay, to have his or her DNA combined with that of another person. In addition, the technology would result to a perfect march in terms of gene pool as well as a clean birth with hardly any pain or even morning sickness. Besides, individuals could have a great chance of freezing their eggs and sperms while there are in their teenage stage years, a time when they are most physically fit. Based on such scenario, they would be able to create their children later in life whenever they are psychologically and financially able to raise children. The technology is further in a position of offering justification to pro-lifers, especially in the abortion debates. There would be reduced or even zero cases of abortion aimed at protecting mothers’ health. This benefit comes in because the artificial womb technology would bring all aborted embryos to term. This means that unwanted pregnancies would no longer lead to the death of unborn children. To facilitate such benefit, a keen selection of the technology and its structure need to be considered. Essentially, the artificial uterus technology would involve an embryo, an amniotic tank, and an umbilical cord. Each of these requirements would play a unique role, but all would work collaboratively. Regarding the technology, it has to be considered that, a uterus has the potential of developing a fetus within an environment that is free of diseases or pollutants since its condition would be highly controllable. An ovary would be taken from a woman and then kept in a suitable fluid, where it would grow for a stipulated amount of time. Typically, an ovary would produce a fresh ovum in a process considered to happen with a success rate of around 90%. The ovum would be fertilized and the embryo grown for nine months, just like in a normal pregnancy. To increase the technology efficiency, experiments would be done using both live human and animal cells. This aspect would enhance the copying of the exact functions of the womb in order to come up with a perfect system (Rosen 2003, pg. 1). Developing the technology has been promoted by the availability of machine-controlled hearts and kidneys that have largely presented a new perspective for the creation of a new uterus. The term Ectogenesis is used in this report to describe the way human pregnancy could be replaced by artificial wombs. Regarding this case, an artificial womb entails a device that is capable of nurturing embryonic development beyond the success achieved by cell culture techniques within a dish (Guenin 2008, pg.245). Tin such a situation, the uterus is able to provide nutrients as well as nurturing fetus and disposing waste materials. The structure of a road map of developing artificial uterus should be based on the notion that the technology has largely occupied the art of science fiction. While the notion of coming up with artificial womb has been in existence for years, science fiction provides some potential to making the technology become real. 2.2 Structure of the Technology Roadmap: Schematic Multilayer Format Based on the structure description, the roadmap would be designed using the schematic multilayer format. This is done as follows: Figure 2.0: Roadmap Structure for the Artificial Uterus Technology: Multilayer Format (Generalized technology roadmap architecture by Phaal, Farrukh, Probert, (2003)) 3.0 KEY ISSUES The artificial uterus technology would involve a consideration of key issues that need to be addressed for its future development. Such issues include past efforts on the technology including any failures, challenges, and achievements. It would also be important to consider the issues revolving the development of the artificial uterus and the key problems that have to be addressed. 3.1 Consideration of Earlier Efforts on the Technology Consideration of how the technology becomes potentially viable would be critical. Before the idea of this technology, the invention of the heart machine showed much success since it boosted the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in the pretermeonate. There is a significant progress in the pump technology and the oxygenator, which has gave way to the development of the artificial uterus as a future technology. Given that cannulation is today performed through the umbilical cord, the artificial nutrition can be done through the introduced circuit. A consideration of past development processes of the technology would provide a way of understanding the milestones for future technical development of the artificial uterus technology. The milestones would include processes like submersion, inflammatogenicity and thrombogenicity, and cannulation. 3.1.1 Submersion Regarding submersion, the focused would be mainly on submerging an animal, used as a specimen, into an artificial amniotic fluid. The process has two setbacks. These setbacks include: i. It avoids a drop in the pulmonary arterial pressure that is induced by the aeration of the lungs hence withholds the fetal circulation. ii. The external moistening is instrumental in the prevention of secondary spontaneous naval vessel constriction. The transfer of the pregnancy into an artificial uterus can overcome this obstacle. Nevertheless, the unanimated surroundings of the fluid filled incubator shields sensory experience hence creating an artificial barrier (Rent et al, 2012). 3.1.2 Inflammatogenicity and thrombogenicity It would important to consider the aspects of inflammatogenicity and thrombogenicity. Inflammation could occur in cardio-pulmonary bypass of the newborn. Complications that may arise from inflammation include broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, white matter syndrome, and intracranial hemorrhage. Thrombogenicity is a problem to the preterm newborns because they are susceptible to inter-cranial hemorrhage. Nevertheless, the use of surface coating will greatly reduce their effects. Thromboresistant coatings would reduce the demands for anticoagulants. By considering, the low circulating blood volume of preterm children, the systemic anticoagulative effects from the coatings would be excluded. The optimization of the flow pattern and coating would improve hemocompatatibility. A substantial reduction of the pro-inflammatory potency of the circuits would be a prerequisite in the long-term operation regarding the technology (Rent et al, 2012). 3.1.3 Cannulation The cannula’s influence on the pressure drop would imperative because it could exceed the oxygenator’s capability. The design would have to aim at the largest inner diameter and the shortest insertion length. Polymers, which are thin-walled, atraumatic and self-expanding, would be highly preferred. 3.2 Developing the Artificial Uterus To develop the new technology, it is good to consider it as being beyond the technology used to develop an incubator. The artificial uterus would be more complex than any modern incubator. It would be more advanced than even a clunky device used to provide oxygen to preemie, protect it from cold, as well as provision of hydration and nutrition services or even the provision of adequate humidity levels. Various activities need to be initiated for an effective development of the technology. To come up with an effective artificial uterus, aspects such as the Artificial Endometrium, the artificial placenta, and synthetic amniotic fluid need to be considered. 3.2.1 Artificial Endometrium The interior lining of the uterus would have the same features as the natural one. The endometrium would be made in such a way that it looks almost exactly like the gestational process, or it could even be made better than the natural one. The artificial uterus would be able to spawn and host an actual placenta. Hung-Ching Liu’s concept could be used in which a design of an ideal endometrium would be prepared from a co-cultures system that has epithelial and stromal cells, but this could raise some ethical issues according to Dvorsky (2014). 3.2.2 The artificial placenta It would be a great idea to consider the advancement of regenerative medicine and personalized genetics artificial, which have been of some positive impact to the invention of a perfect artificial uterus. With such regard, the placenta needs to be able to develop on the endometrial wall or as an external device. Its capacity would allow the delivery of nutrients, gaseous exchange and eliminate waste products. The main setback involving the development of a perfect placenta is the complexity of the natural one. The artificial placenta should transfer the mother’s antibody to the fetus, control the fetal growth, provide serotonin, and reflect how the mother will eat during the normal process (Dvorsky 2014). When the design is not perfect, the fetus may experience growth problems or even death. 3.2.3 Synthetic amniotic fluid The production and management of the amniotic fluid would be an important component in the success of the artificial uterus technology. The fluid changes in content during the natural process; hence, the synthetic fluid would be a complex composition. 3.3 Key problems to be Addressed Future development of the technology proves to be complicated if some key issues are hardly addressed. The issues requiring consideration are based on past experiences and reactions against the technology. One of the issues to be considered in the future development of the technology is the fear evoked by the safety of the technology. The invention of the artificial uterus evokes fears of the consequences of the ramified consequences of departing from the nature’s method of gestation. Many people believe that the artificial wombs should not be developed due to safety concerns thus leading to objections against the technology (Simosntein 2009, pg. 214). Such objections further trigger concerns regarding whether the process is completely safe for a child within the artificial uterus, which threatens the success of future development of the technology. Ethical issues also need to be addressed. Safety concerns and experiment on humans have contributed to objection of artificial uterus expertise, thereby raising ethical issues and a threat to the future of the technology. Critics argue that, the lack of full knowledge of the technology might put the safety and condition of the child at risk. They argue that the attempt to develop a child outside the womb is experimentation with human life, which is an unethical practice. If the children nurtured through the artificial womb were to develop fully, it would take several years to determine if their mental and emotional development is normal (Gelfand et al 2006, pg. 16). The growth of children, who may lack some basic nutrients due to the ignorance of the project, could result in a deprived human life for them. In addition, it is argued that the mother-to-child relationship is developed from the fact that the mother carries the unborn baby for nine months. The bonding translates into the mother being a better and caring parent than the father because of the intimacy she shared with it during pregnancy. By use of the artificial uterus, this privilege is lost. Critics argue that a mother’s bond with her child is lost once the child is conceived through the laboratory (Gelfand et al 2006, pg. 17). 4.0 Conclusion Artificial uterus technology could be of significant help to both the women wishing to have children without the complications and pain experiences caused by natural methods as well as the women lacking the capacity to bare children due to damaged uterus or deformed wombs. However, if the technology has to be enhanced in the future, the various critiques surrounding the technology should be considered. A way of solving each of the issues raised about the technology has to be initiated. This could include speaking about the advantaged of the technology to people, enhancing safety, and proofing the technology worthy adopting. 5.0 Bibliography Dvorsky, G. 2014. How to Build an Artificial Womb. [online] io9. Available at: http://io9.com/how-to-build-an-artificial-womb-476464703 [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. GELFAND, S. 2006. Ectogenesis: artificial womb technology and the future of human reproduction. Amsterdam [u.a.], Rodopi. GUENIN, L. M. 2008. The morality of embryo use. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press. HAKIM, N. S. 2009. Artificial organs. London, Springer. McKie, R. 2002. Men redundant? Now we dont need women either. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/10/medicalscience.research [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Phaal r., Farrukh Clare J.P., Probert D.R., 2003. Technology Roadmapping-A planning framework for evolution and revolution. Technological forecasting & Social change, volume 71, pp.5-26 Reint, K, M. Schober, J. Arens, A. Lohr, M. Seehase, J. Collins, B. Krammer, T. Orliwosky 2012. Artificial organs, Fifty Years on the Artificial Placenta: Milestones in the History of Extracorporeal Support of the Premature Newborn. The International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals Inc. Rosen C, 2003. A journal of Technology and Science. [Online] Available at www.TheNewAtlantis.com [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. SCHENKER, J. G. 2011. Ethical dilemmas in assisted reproductive technologies. Berlin, De Gruyter. SIMONSTEIN, F. 2009. Reprogen-ethics and the future of gender. Dordrecht, Springer. YASHON, R. K., & CUMMINGS, M. R. 2012. Human genetics and society. Australia, Brooks/Cole. Read More