Maryland biotech United Therapeutics has quietly snapped up roughly 207 acres on the edge of Stewartville, just south of Rochester, as it gears up to scale pig-to-human organ production. The large land buy gives the company room to grow the under-construction pathogen-free complex that is expected to supply gene-edited organs for clinical trials and, if all goes according to plan, eventual commercial use.
Big Land Buy On Stewartville’s Edge
United Therapeutics paid about $8.57 million for the roughly 207-acre tract, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. The purchase is expected to give the company space to expand the footprint of the project it has already started in the Schumann Business Park, turning what began as a single high-tech facility into something closer to a full campus.
How The New Land Fits Into United Therapeutics’ Organ Game Plan
In its 2025 10-K, United Therapeutics describes ongoing construction of a 65,000-square-foot designated pathogen-free (DPF) facility in Stewartville that is designed to produce porcine hearts and kidneys for xenotransplant clinical trials and to support eventual commercial supply, per United Therapeutics' 2025 10-K. The company says the DPF program will roll out in stages, with additional facilities coming only as clinical progress and regulatory authorization make them feasible.
Why Stewartville, And Who Gets The Jobs
The newly acquired parcel sits in or next to Stewartville's Schumann Business Park, a city-designated industrial area the municipality pitches for light manufacturing because it sits close to I-90, Rochester International Airport and the Mayo Clinic, according to the City of Stewartville. Local reporting also notes that United Therapeutics previously bought 32 acres in the park in August 2024 and that the Stewartville complex is expected to need roughly 20 on-site employees at competitive base wages, according to the Post Bulletin.
Regulatory High Wire Act
United Therapeutics is not starting from scratch on the science side. The company has already moved into clinical work, announcing the first transplant in its EXPAND trial of the UKidney xenokidney in November 2025, a milestone detailed in a company press release. At the same time, the company's 10-K cautions that the DPF buildout is capital intensive and tightly linked to FDA interactions and clinical milestones, which means any large-scale ramp-up hinges on regulatory progress and strict biosafety compliance.
Neighborhood Nerves And Company Assurances
Company officials have been trying to get in front of community worries about biosecurity and potential nuisances. Dewey Steadman, United Therapeutics' head of investor and media relations, told local TV that the operation will be a "very high-tech pharmaceutical plant first" and said air handling systems will prevent odors, according to KTTC. City leaders, for their part, continue to highlight the business park's incentives and shovel-ready lots as reasons this large, unusual investment fits into Stewartville's long-term development plans.
