World's second patient to receive pig heart transplant is recovering

According to the latest announcement from doctors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the patient showed no signs of transplant rejection (a condition in which the immune system mistakes the new organ for a dangerous foreign element and tries to eliminate it from the body).

"The patient's heart is doing its job," said Dr Muhammad Mohiuddin, head of the heart transplant team.

According to a hospital spokesman, Mr. Faucette is able to stand on his own and is working with therapists to learn to walk.

The surgery took place on September 20, by the same team that performed the first pig heart transplant in 2022. At that time, Mr. Faucette had end-stage heart disease and was not eligible for a traditional heart transplant. The only hope left was a pig heart transplant, also known as a xenotransplant.

The procedure has been green-lighted under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) humanitarian program, which the agency says is a potential way for patients with serious illnesses to access investigational medical products and treatments outside of clinical trials.

The pig heart used came from a genetically modified pig. Scientists edited 10 genes, including three that were disabled, to remove alpha gal from pig blood cells. Alpha gal can cause severe reactions in the human immune system, leading to transplant rejection.

The first images released by the hospital shortly after the surgery showed the patient Faucette gasping for breath, but still smiling and saying: "It's hard, but I'll do it."

Last year, a team of doctors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine performed the world’s first pig-to-human heart transplant. The patient, David Bennett, survived for just two months, before his heart failed for reasons that are still unclear. Experts found traces of a pig virus inside the organ.

Lessons learned from the first trial led to some changes in the second surgery. The surgical team had to test for the virus thoroughly before performing the risky experiment.

Attempts to transplant organs from animals to humans have failed for decades, as the human immune system immediately destroys the foreign tissue. Scientists are now trying to use genetically modified pigs to mimic human organs as closely as possible.