Revolutionary head transplant will take place in China in the end of 2017
Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero has appointed the first human head transplantation in December 2017.
Russian Valery Spiridonov suffering from SMA was the first potential candidate for the head transplantation, but at this moment doctor Canavero tells, the operation will take place in Harbin, China, the participant will be a chinese citizen, his name is not disclosing. The decision was made because of the importance both the recipient and body donor.
Xiaoping Ren – well-experienced surgery and close friend of doctor Canavero will take the lead of surgery team, which will conduct the operation. Earlier, doctor Ren participated in first hand transplantation in the USA. This chose Sergio explains with a possible language barrier between future operation participants, not only doctor Ren’s competence and experience.
The crucial problem conducting this operation is reconnection the spiral cord in a way so that controlling the body and extremities through the nerves becomes possible again. Canavero tells the solution is fluid “Texas-PEG”, developed in Rice University, by James Tour’s team. With cooperation with colleagues from South Korea and China Sergio conducted trials and published its results in Surgical Neurology International.
Doctor Sergio Canavero tells his next step will be brain transplantation surgery, it seems 3 years of preparation are “realistic” for him. The future of this operation in the point of Sergio’s view is reawakening cryo-frozen brain.
There is a special virtual reality system for patient’s preparation, it allows to simulate the ability to walk. Doctor Canavero believes it will take a big part of preparation physically and morally for a new body. In addition, there was a special scalpel developed for this procedure. Such equipment allows to severe the spine with a clean cut and with minimal impact on the nerves.