The most common cause of death among extremely preterm infants is respiratory distress syndrome, which is currently treated with invasive mechanical ventilation. However, this form of ventilation is associated with various long-term lung complications.

This project aims to develop an alternative approach, an artificial placenta, designed to support infants on the threshold of viability through extracorporeal gas exchange. The oxygenator to be developed for this purpose must be able to grow with the child and meet its gas transfer needs while keeping the extracorporeal volume as small as possible. Furthermore, the goal is to develop a low-resistance circulatory system that can be powered solely by the fetal heart. A safe-to-use prototype is being designed in collaboration with medical professionals.