Surgeons ready to start human trials for world’s first head transplant

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Scientists planning the world’s first head transplant say they are one step closer to starting human trials.

The neurosurgeons have already performed the controversial operation on a corpse but now, Italian Sergio Canavaro and Xiaoping Ren, from China, claim to have repaired “irreversible” spinal cord injuries in animal experiments.

Two studies, published this week, show monkeys and dogs were able to walk again after their spinal cords were severed and successfully repaired.

The pair said their new findings are “unprecedented” and should pave the way for the first human trials.

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In 2015, Canavaro announced he wanted to transplant the head of a paralyzed man, Valery Spiridonov, onto the body of a dead donor.

The procedure, he explained, would involve cooling the bodies to a state of deep hypothermia, before severing the spinal columns using a diamond blade.

The next step would be to reattach the blood vessels and nerves, connecting those from Valery’s head to those of the dead donor’s body.

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“The first human transplant on human cadavers has been done. Everyone said it was impossible, but the surgery was successful. A full head swap between brain dead organ donors in the next stage.

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