London - A terminally ill man has volunteered to undergo the world’s first head transplant.
Valery Spiridonov is hoping the experimental procedure, which would see his head removed and replaced on a donor body, will take place as soon as next year.
The 30 year-old computer scientist from Russia has a fatal muscle wasting disorder called Werdnig-Hoffman disease.
Spiridonov said he believes the operation is his best chance of survival, adding: ‘I don’t have many choices. If I don’t try this chance my fate will be very sad.’
In the face of intense scepticism, Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero claims he is ready to attempt a body swap, which is expected to cost £7.5million. He has designed the technique to be used to initially help people with severe illnesses. But he believes that in theory, people could get new healthy bodies at will, potentially extending their lives indefinitely.
And in the future, Dr Canavero says elderly people might even clone their own bodies, creating a younger copy of themselves for their head to be placed on.
First though, the surgeon needs to show the technique can work, and has chosen Spiridonov to undergo the first procedure.
In theory, the new body would come from a donor who is brain dead but otherwise healthy. Both donor and patient would have their head severed from their spinal cord at the same time.
The patient’s head would then be placed on to the donor’s body and attached using a glue-like substance called polyethylene glycol. The muscles and blood supply would be stitched up, and the body given electrical shocks to strengthen the connections between the head and body.
The patient would be then put into a coma for four weeks to stop them from moving while the head and body heal. When they wake, the patient would hopefully be able to move, feel their face and even speak with the same voice. Powerful immunosuppressant drugs should stop the new body being rejected.
But critics say Dr Canavero’s plans are ‘pure fantasy’ and have compared the surgeon to Dr Frankenstein. Many experts also believe that he has underestimated the difficulties involved in reattaching a spinal cord.
Dr Hunt Batjer, from the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, said: ‘I would not wish this on anyone. There are things worse than death.’
So far Dr Canavero has failed to secure funding for the team of 150 doctors and nurses that he believes are required to complete the procedure. However the Italian is confident he can successfully complete the operation.
He told MailOnline: ‘First I must find the right hospital. Then I will assemble a medical team of doctors and nurses.
‘Next we will perform a year of cadaver trials. Once we have perfected this we will be ready to give Valery a new chance of life.’
Daily Mail