How a pig heart was transplanted into a human for the first time

By Clare Wilson.

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For the first time, a human has received a pig's heart. David Bennett had a heart transplant in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 7, using a genetically modified heart to boost the chances of acceptance in a human body.

The pig was developed by Revivicor. The animal had 10 genes modified. One of the four that were inactivated caused the pig's heart to stop growing after the transplant, and the other one caused the pig's immune system to attack.

Surgeons prepare pig heart for transplant.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Bennett is taking immune-suppressing medications after six human genes were inserted into a pig's genome.