Surgeons eye first human head transplant in two years 

It seems like something out of a science fiction or horror story, but the first human head transplant might be taking place in just two years.  The plan itself will be launched in this year’s annual conference of the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons (AANOS).

 

Sergio Canavero, from the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy, first proposed the idea in 2013. Canavero’s goal is to extend the lives of people with degenerated muscles and nerves or people suffering from cancer. According to Canavero, the surgery could push through as early as 2017.

 

Animal experiments with head transplants

 

The first attempt at performing a head transplant was conducted by Vladimir Demikhov in 1954. Demikhov transplanted a puppy’s head onto the back of an adult dog. He attempted to perform further experiments, but all the dogs survived for only 2-6 days.

 

 

In 1970, Robert White, from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, transplanted the head of one monkey to the body of another. The monkey lived for 9 days before its immune system rejected the head.

 

 

Advances in medicine

 

According to Canavero, majority of the hurdles that have blocked the way of head transplants have now been removed. “I think we are now at a point when the technical aspects are all feasible,” he said.

 

Canavero published a summary of the technique he plans to use in the journal Surgical Neurology International.

 

After the head and the body are cooled (to the point that they can survive without oxygen), the tissue around the neck is dissected and all the major blood vessels are linked. The spinal cords of the head and body are cut and the ends are fused together by flushing the area with a chemical called polyethylene glycol. The initial flushing is followed up by regular injections of the same fluid over a period of several hours. Polyethylene glycol encourages the fat found in cell membranes to mesh.

 

The muscles and blood supply of the head and body are sutured, and the patient kept in an induced coma for 3-4 weeks to prevent movement and allow time for healing. Implanted electrodes will provide electrical stimulation to the spinal cord during this time to strengthen new nerve connections. 

 

William Mathews, chairman of the AANOS, says that the chances of the immune system rejecting the tissue are small, since we’ve developed the technology to handle it. “The system we have for preventing immune rejection and the principles behind it are well established.”

 

According to Canavero, several people have already volunteered to undergo the procedure. —Bea Montenegro/NB, GMA News