Russians plan to transplant head

The first patient who volunteered to undergo a head transplant was Valery Spiridonov, a thirty-year programmer from Vladimir, suffering from spinal muscular atrophy.

Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero (Sergio Canavero) announced at the end of February 2017 about the preparation of the head transplant operation for 2015, but this plan provoked a critical reaction from scientists and doctors. The Kanavero method is based on already existing scientific achievements. The transplantation of the head to the body of another monkey was carried out already in the 1970-ies: the monkey lived with a new head for nine days, but its immune system rejected foreign organs.

Spiridonov and Kanavero are chatting on Skype, with the Italian doctor stating that the priority in selecting patients for the operation will belong to those suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

SMA is a genetically determined disease - because of it, from an early age, muscle growth stops in a person. 50 percent of children with SMA do not live to the age of one year, however Spiridonov lived to thirty and was able to graduate from the university. Nevertheless, with his current body, the chances of attaining old age are almost nil.

Spiridonov contacted the professor two years ago after reading about his research on the Internet. All this time they have been discussing the risks and prospects of an e-mail operation. The Spiridonov family fully supports his decision, although he is aware of the great chance that the programmer would die after the operation.

The body donors, according to Spiridonov, may be incurable brain injuries or criminals sentenced to death.

The exact date of the operation remains to be determined - until Kanavero found funding and was unable to recruit a staff of 150 doctors and nurses needed for the transplantation. The next step for Kanavero will be a speech at the neurosurgical congress, which will be held in Annapolis (USA) in the summer of 2015, the same time Spiridonov called the doctor.