Surgeons planning world's first HEAD transplant claim repaired 'irreversible' spinal cord injuries

www.dailymail.co.uk ^ | Published: 10:15 EDT, 28 March 2019 | Updated: 11:03 EDT, 28 March 2019 | By Mia De Graaf Health Editor For Dailymail.com

[Red Badger]

Sergio Canavero, of Italy, and Xiaoping Ren, of China, published two studies on Wednesday

In the studies, they claim to cure 'irreversible' spinal cord injuries in monkeys and dogs

The papers were published in the peer-reviewed US journal Surgical Neurology International

Describing their findings as 'unprecedented', Canavero and Ren say this shows they are ready to conduct human trials

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The surgeons aspiring to perform the world's first human head transplant claim they have made indisputable progress towards their controversial goal.

Sergio Canavero, of Italy, and Xiaoping Ren, of China, published two studies on Wednesday in which they claim to cure 'irreversible' spinal cord injuries in monkeys and dogs.

According to the papers, published in the peer-reviewed US journal Surgical Neurology International, the animals were able to walk again after their spinal cords were severed then successfully repaired.

Describing their findings as 'unprecedented', Canavero and Ren say this shows they are ready to conduct human trials.

Canavero, based in Turin, told USA Today, his studies 'completely reject' the view that 'a severed spinal cord cannot be mended in any way, a mantra uncritically repeated over and over.'

It's not clear where the trials would be conducted.

Their recent animal studies were done in China, at Harbin Medical University, where researchers across the country have been pushing the envelope scientifically and ethically, sending pulses racing across the world.

Until 2018, they had a candidate - 33-year-old Russian computer science student Valery Spiridonov, who has a fatal muscle-wasting disease.

But Spiridonov dropped out because his new wife gave birth to their 'miracle son', which gave him pause.

[central_va]

[cymbeline]

How can all of the signal paths (nerves) going to/from the brain to various parts of the body be accurately spliced together.

[Reily]

Agree!
If any good comes out of this it will be treatment for several spinal cord injuries.

[pigsmith]

Bump for Freeper madness! :-)

[Mr. Jeeves]

Wait a minute - does the head get to pick a new body or does the body get to pick a new head? Just who is the donor, here? :)

[I want the USA back]

Here we go again. This was talked about a few years ago, and is as stupid now as it was then.

I don’t doubt that it will be tried, and that there will be failures. Imagine the horror of the living head regaining consciousness, and facing the reality that the nerve impulses reaching it are not what it knew all its life. I contend that this will be impossible to take, and that the living person in the head will go insane, or express the preference to die.

And the pain? You’ve never had a pain in the neck like the person will feel.

Oh, the failures. The first 50 or so attempts will result in horrible failure, with the subject actually being euthanized. Don’t believe me? Just wait.

[Red Badger]

Good question. If they can get the nerves just to connect with another nerve that would be a start...............

[from occupied ga]

[Red Badger]

Question:

Where does one get a ‘donor’ body?............................with no head...................

[smvoice]

THIS will be our frickin' luck RBG gets Helen Thomas's head. *CRIPES*😳*

[AuntB]

;<)

[treetopsandroofs]

How can all of the signal paths (nerves) going to/from the brain to various parts of the body be accurately spliced together.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Where does one get a ‘donor’ body?............................with no head...................”

I’m thinking at a Bernie rally.

[Flick Lives]

The surgeons aspiring to perform the world's first human head transplant claim they have made indisputable progress towards their controversial goal.

Usual sensationalistic B.S. by what passes as "reporting" today.

[Magnum44]

Wait, I saw this one

[PapaBear3625]

Even if/when an actual human head transplant takes place, the patient will need to take an incredible amount of anti-rejection drugs to keep things functioning. These drugs would lower the immune response. By lowering the natural immune response, the patient will be prone to disease from all manner of infections a whole person could easily ignore.

Not if the body is a clone of you.

I could see some wealthy and powerful people making clones just for that purpose.

It might make a good movie: person growing up in isolation discovers he is a clone, and will shortly have is head cut off when his older self needs the body.

[Slyfox]

[jonascord]

The history of stroke recovery indicates that the brain CAN reprogram itself to redirect muscle commands. Whether these "splices" and reprogramming can be adapted, and on a grand scale, to the central nervous system is another question.

My understanding of spinal cord injuries indicates that, within minutes of an injury, proteins are released that irreparably destroy the nerves of the spinal cord. There are meds that can repress this, but they must be administered promptly, and have only limited effect.

Possibility? Who knows? I never believed Americans would vote Communists and rabid Muslims into Congress, but, here we are.

[PapaBear3625]

Where does one get a ‘donor’ body?............................with no head...................

Back in 1993, Pennsylvania's Democrat Governor Casey suddenly needed a heart AND liver transplant.

Just hours after he was put on the list, a donor was found. A healthy 34 year old had been beaten to death.

[treetopsandroofs]

I provided the tool in answer to the question. :-)