Neuroscientist Claims Head Transplants Now A Realistic Procedure

Adario Strange, dvice.com |

We can grow ears in the lab, restore hearing and sight in many cases, and fully working robotic prosthetic hands are now a reality. So it seems like was only a matter of time before we conquered the most outlandish of all medical feats ever imagined: a full human head transplant.

In a paper published in the June issue of Surgical Neurology International, researchers describe a method of actually transplanting a human head through advanced neurosurgery. Creepily code-named HEAVEN/GEMINI (Head Anastomosis Venture with Cord Fusion) the process is outlined by Dr. Sergio Canavero of Italy’s Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group.

According to the paper, the one hurdle preventing successful attempts before was the inability to attach a head’s spine to a donor body. However, Canavero’s writes, “It is my contention that the technology only now exists for such linkage. This paper sketches out a possible human scenario and outlines the technology to reconnect the severed cord…”

The paper, which describes experiments carried out in the ’70s on animals that had limited success, states that success would now be achievable through the use of special membrane-fusion substances called fusogens. According to Canavero, the body donor would need to be “a brain dead patient, matched for height and build.”

Canavero’s paper makes for fascinating reading, especially when it delves into ethical and genetic topics. Canavero writes, “The HEAVEN created ’chimera’ would carry the mind of the recipient but, should he or she reproduce, the offspring would carry the genetic inheritance of the donor.” And while some might cringe at such a scenario, Canavero himself admits, “I have not addressed the ethical aspects of HEAVEN.”

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