Scientists Think a Lab-Grown Uterus Could Help Fight Infertility
A bioengineered uterus could eliminate the need for risky transplants and make pregnancy an option for trans women
Bioengineer Mats Hellström, PhD, spends most of his days working with mice, rats, and petri dishes full of cells. Although he sees no patients, his work has the potential to impact the lives of thousands, if not millions, of women diagnosed with infertility: He’s working toward creating a lab-grown uterus.
Hellström, an associate professor in bioengineering and organ regeneration at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, originally studied the regeneration of the nervous system, but he became interested in the reproductive system after meeting Mats Brännström, MD, PhD, a pioneer in the field of uterine transplantation. Their goal, Hellström says, became “to create a bioengineered organ to replace the need for a donor.”
“I was at that age where having kids becomes interesting,” he tells Future Human. “It all sounded really, really fascinating.”
Hellström’s work could help women with uterine factor infertility, the kind caused by problems in the structure or function of the uterus. It isn’t the most common cause of infertility, but it’s not especially rare, either…
