October 19, 2023

On Sept. 20, a 58-year-old man with terminal heart disease received a transplant of a genetically modified pig heart. As of mid-October, Laurence Faucette of Frederick, Md., was recovering and communicating with his loved ones. This is only the second time that a genetically modified pig heart has been transplanted into a living patient. Both historic surgeries were performed by University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Read about the landmark surgeries.

Depicted: (Left) The xenotransplant surgery in progress. (Right) Laurence and Ann Faucette before his surgery.