The successful surgery is “absolutely huge — for the patient, for the field, for Revivicor, for the transplant future,” Revivicor's executive vice president and chief scientific officer David Ayares said in a January 11 interview, according to The Business Journals.

Xenotransplantation — the use of non-human organs like the pig heart — could save thousands of lives if the dangers of rejection can be overcome.


To help fight rejection the UHeart experimental organ was modified in several ways. “Three genes — responsible for rapid antibody-mediated rejection of pig organs by humans — were "knocked out" in the donor pig. Six human genes responsible for immune acceptance of the pig heart were inserted into the genome. Lastly, one additional gene in the pig was knocked out to prevent excessive growth of the pig heart tissue, which totaled 10 unique gene edits made in the donor pig,” according to the UMMC report. In addition, Bennett was given conventional anti-rejection drugs, as well as a new experimental compound made by Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals.

This procedure and the development of the modified organ “has the potential to revolutionize the field of transplantation by eventually eliminating the organ shortage crisis,” stressed Dr. Christine Lau, the Dr. Robert W. Buxton professor and chair of the department of surgery at UMSOM and surgeon-in-chief at UMMC.

Back to HCB News

Cardiology Homepage