Saverio La Francesca – A True Pioneer

As a child, Saverio was always fascinated with the wonders of medical science. The fact that taking a simple pill could help improve a person's medical condition was something that he could never wrap his head around. He wanted to study more about the human body and decided that he was going to become a doctor. Saverio was born in 1961, and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Palermo, Italy back in 1985. After completing his graduation, Saverio moved to Rome, where he enrolled in the La Sapienza University for his specialization.
He specialized in Cardiac surgery because the heart was always a source of fascination to him. After completing his specialization, Saverio was interested in pursuing his research and studies and began looking at offers from different places. He eventually got an offer from the Texas Heart Institute and decided to move to Houston in order to pursue his lifelong dream.
Saverio completed his doctorate fellowships at the Texas Heart Institute as well and then decided that he was going to move back to his home country. He became an Associate Professor at La Sapienza, all the while continuing with his research. However, he knew that he was going to return to Houston again, and sure enough, in 2005, he got the opportunity to make his return.
He joined the hospital as a heart surgeon specializing in lung and heart transplants at the Texas Heart Institute. He soon moved to the Methodist Hospital afterward. But, the fact that he was constantly busy transplanting patients made it difficult for him to translate his research and to bring to patients his ideas, so when he got an offer from Biostage, he took it quickly.
Biostage is a biotechnology company that allowed him to continue his research about implants and bioengineering. Now, La Francesca had a place where he could work on his dream; the bioartificial esophagus. La Francesca was the Chief Medical Officer of Biostage from 2014 and was eventually made the President of the company in 2017.
Saverio and Fabio Triolo were the first two doctors- researchers to have successfully carried out the world’s first bioartificial esophagus transplant. The organ implant was made from a synthetic skeleton that was covered entirely in stem cells from the operating patient. The implant surgery was conducted on a patient who was aged 75 years and suffering from a severe form of cancer. Three weeks after the company received his stem cells the patient underwent surgery. By August 2017, the patient was still alive and well, and subsequent research showed that the procedure was a massive success.
Saverio now wants to further the applications of his bioartificial esophagus by using it for babies. A number of babies that are born without essential organs can benefit from these bioengineered products. These methods are suitable for use because they are completely safe and are made to the highest standards of safety. Saverio currently runs Orgagen, which he founded, a biotechnology company that focuses on restoring and regenerating tissues and organs for patients in needs.