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Excellent Science INNOVATION
Manikin of infants between gestation week 24 to 28 (and if required, beyond) with life-like motility, tissue mimicking materials and mimicking of blood circulation and skin colouration
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Market Maturity: Tech Ready
These are innovations that are progressing on technology development process (e.g. pilots, prototypes, demonstration). Learn more
Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as having a High” level of Market Creation Potential. Only innovations that are showing multiple signals of market creation potential are assigned a value under this indicator system. Learn more
Women-led innovation
A woman had a leadership role in developing this innovation in at least one of the Key Innovator organisations listed below.
Go to Market needs
Needs that, if addressed, can increase the chances this innovation gets to (or closer to) the market incude:
  • Prepare for Market entry
  • Secure capital
Location of Key Innovators developing this innovation
Key Innovators
UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The UN explains: "Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers responsible for child and maternal mortality.

Major progress has also been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

However, many more efforts are needed to control a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon 2020 project PLS with an end date of 30/09/2024
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project PLS
Every year, 800.000 babies are born extremely preterm (EP; <28 weeks of age) worldwide. A large proportion of survivors from this group of smallest infants face lifelong disabilities, including breathing, cardiac, neurological and metabolic problems. Current treatment requires the preterm initiation of body functions for which the respective organs are not prepared. This affects primarily the lungs which need to provide gas-exchange under air (i.e. oxygen-based mechanical ventilation), and the gut, which is needed for energy and nutrition. This approach causes major therapy-related morbidity such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis and germinal matrix bleeding. The Perinatal Life Support (PLS) consortium envisions a medical device that can support the safe development of EP infants outside the womb by preserving the innate fetal cardiorespiratory physiology ex vivo, with the following enabling technologies: 1. A liquid-based environment with oxygen and nutrient exchange using an ´artificial placenta´; 2. Continuous and non-invasive monitoring of fetal parameters such as heart rate and oxygenation; 3. Computational models for fast and objective clinical decision support based on physiological data input; 4. A fetal manikin that can accurately simulate EP infants in an intensive care setting. The PLS project will be carried out by an interdisciplinary group of academia and industry with experience in modelling, monitoring, engineering, obstetrics and neonatology. The technology underlying PLS is applicable to conditions where ex vivo life support is required e.g. organ perfusion, regeneration and transplantation. The integrated system will allow major progress towards translation for an urgent medical need, where new solutions are lacking as preclinical models are inadequate and clinical trials not feasible. Innovative simulation technology will enable technical validation of PLS, with demonstration of functionality in a final Proof-of-Principle.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 17/11/2024.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 20217