Biography

Saverio La Francesca is a cardiothoracic surgeon and the Chief Medical Officer of Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology (HART). The company is focused on the development of a biotrachea. HART is currently completing the preclinical work necessary for the commencement of clinical trials in the US and the UK. Previously Dr. La Francesca was faculty at the Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantation at the DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center at the Houston Methodist Hospital, where he developed the current surgical and perfusion techniques for thoracic organ procurement and preservation and where he was also the Director of the Exvivo lung perfusion laboratory. Before that he was an attending surgeon at the Department of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. La Francesca has experience with gene and stem cell delivery in large animals with the use of the Exvivo lung perfusion system. He received his M.D. in medicine and surgery in 1985 at the University of Palermo. Dr. La Francesca did his Residency in Cardiovascular Surgery in the Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". He then completed his post-doctoral training with fellowships at the Texas Heart Institute under the supervision of pioneer surgeon Denton Cooley.Dr. La Francesca holds UNOS certifications as heart transplant surgeon and lung transplant surgeon. He is also certified as surgeon for the use of the HeartMate and the Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist devices.