JUNO PERINATAL HEALTHCARE

Introduction into the research and problem

BEHIND THE SCENES

Juno's hangar

PODCAST JASMIJN KOK

Progress, Potential, and Possibilities: behind the scenes of Juno

Every year, 800,000 babies are born extremely preterm (defined as less than 28 weeks of age) worldwide. These infants are usually transferred to an air-based neonatal intensive care unit to support their heart and lung development. Exposure to air, however, leads to many complications, because the lungs are not fully developed yet. An artificial uterus, or artificial womb, is a device that would allow for extra-corporeal pregnancy, by supporting the growth of a fetus outside the body of an organism that would normally carry the fetus to term. Juno Perinatal Healthcare (https://junoperinatalhealthcare.com/) is a fascinating Dutch neonatal healthcare start-up which has a mission of developing a novel, alternative environment, similar to the mother’s womb, where extremely premature babies could be transferred, where the lungs remain filled with fluid and the umbilical cord will be attached to an artificial placenta to improve their organ development and ease the transition to newborn life.