An Italian-Chinese medical team has planned to perform the world’s first head transplant on a 30-year-old Russian computer scientist in China and the procedure may take place by December, 2017. Dr Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon, plans to perform the procedure which is expected to last up to 36 hours. Valery Spiridonov, who was diagnosed with a genetic muscle-wasting condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, has volunteered for the procedure despite the risks involved.
It will require Spiridonov’s head be cooled as well as the donor’s body to extend the period during which the cells can survive without oxygen. Canavero, who previously announced he will attempt to transplant a human head to a new body, will partner with Ren Xiaoping, a Chinese surgeon with the second affiliated hospital of Harbin Medical University, on this ultimate medical challenge. The operation is aimed at restoring independence of severely disabled people.