The head will be transplanted onto a new body. A successful human head transplant took place: the neurosurgeon received an “updated” corpse

In the next two years, an Italian neurosurgeon plans to perform the world's first human head transplant. Doctor Sergio Canavero says that this will become possible when it is possible to connect the spinal cord with the nerve endings so that the immune system does not reject the head and the body begins to perceive all parts of the body as a single whole.

According to New Scientist, preparations for the operation will begin this year. The operation itself, according to Canavero, will take place no earlier than 2017.

This could potentially save the lives of people suffering from muscle and nervous system degeneration. The surgeon believes that the level of our technological development allows us to perform such an operation.

The essence of the technology that makes it possible to transplant a human head was outlined by Canavero in the online journal Surgical Neurology International. The donor organ and the patient's head will be cooled so that the body's cells can survive for some time without oxygen. The tissue around the neck will be cut with a scalpel, the blood vessels will be connected using tubes, and the ends of the spinal cord will be glued together with special glue. The patient will then be put into a coma for about four weeks to allow the body to get stronger. To strengthen connections between nerves, the spinal cord will be stimulated using implanted electrodes.

According to the scientist, upon waking up, the patient will be able to move, feel the muscles of the face and even speak in the same voice. Within a year he will learn to walk.

It is worth noting that the first successful head transplant was performed on a monkey in 1970. Since the surgeons did not try to glue the parts of the spinal cord, the animal could not walk, but breathed, albeit with outside help. Nine days after the operation, the immune system rejected the alien head and the monkey died.

The chairman of the American Academy of Orthopedic and Neurological Surgeons (AANOS) believes that specially formulated drugs will help provide protection against organ rejection.

Several people have already expressed their desire to get a new body. However, one of the main problems may be finding a country that will allow such a transplant.

The real stumbling block is the ethical side of the issue. Is it worth carrying out such an operation at all? Obviously, a lot of people will oppose it,” Canavero said.

There are those who doubt the success of the project. Harry Goldsmith, a professor of clinical neurology and neurosurgery at the University of California, Davis, doesn't believe the plan will come to fruition. According to him, a human head transplant operation will be fraught with many problems. The scientist says that it is impossible to maintain the health of an organism that has been in a coma for four weeks.

If society doesn't want it, then I won't do it. Before you go to the moon, you need to make sure people will follow you, Canavero said.

Not everyone knows that in the 60s of the twentieth century, experiments were carried out in the USA and USSR that shocked the world. Surgeons have successfully performed head transplant operations on primates, bringing to life the bold fantasies of the Soviet writer Alexander Belyaev. But is it possible to keep a person's brain alive after the body has died?

In the 50s, humanity split the atom and was about to conquer space. The Cold War was in full swing. The two systems competed in all areas, including in the field of medical science. In those years, on the orders of Stalin, a secret surgical laboratory was created on the outskirts of Moscow. Unique experiments on animals were carried out there. Internal organs were removed from bodies and kept alive using various equipment. The heart was removed from the dog's body, the blood was pumped out, and 10 minutes after death was recorded, the blood was pumped back into the vessels. Breathing was gradually restored. The dog revived and breathed on its own for a couple of hours.

These unique operations were led by Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov. During the Great Patriotic War, he operated on soldiers on the battlefields. In those years, the talented doctor gained the experience necessary for his unique experiments. Even then he believed that it was possible to transplant a heart and lungs.

In 1951, Demikhov first transplanted the lungs and then the heart of one dog into the chest of another, thereby creating the basis of domestic transplantology. A magician from the Moscow region was preparing for a human heart transplant 16 years before such an operation was actually performed.

In February 1954, he performed an experiment that shocked the world. The scientist and his assistants took two dogs - an adult and a puppy. The operation lasted all night. In the morning, Demikhov demonstrated his achievements. Video footage captured a two-headed monster. The puppy's head and front part of the body were sewn to the neck of a large dog. Doctors connected their muscles, blood vessels, nerves and tracheas. The biological construct, if that’s what Professor Demikhov’s creation can be called, lived for several more days. The heads ate and even tried to bark!

The whole world learned about connected dogs. Unfortunately, most of the public, especially the Western public, perceived it as a freak show. Only doctors, and even not all of them, saw an important scientific achievement in Demikhov’s work.

American surgeon Robert White was especially interested in the work of the Soviet biologist. At the time, the United States was in the grip of Cold War paranoia.

The Americans suspected that biologists in the USSR had achieved some unique results and decided to overtake the Soviets. The American head transplant program was created. Its leader was a neurosurgeon from Cleveland, Robert White. He, like Demikhov, was a veteran of World War II, treating wounded pilots at an American military base in the Pacific Islands. A brilliant and ambitious neurosurgeon in 1964 headed a specialized laboratory at the district hospital in Cleveland (Ohio). Over time, the laboratory became the world's leading center for brain research. There, White operated on patients with traumatic brain injuries and brain diseases. The doctor set out to argue with the Creator and reveal the secrets of the brain.

The first step along the path of transplantation was the implementation of the task of keeping the brain alive, extracted from the skull. Scientists used animals for their experiments. In those days there were no difficulties with this, since there were no societies for the protection of animal rights. In 1962, White demonstrated a monkey's brain removed from its body and kept alive for several hours.

In 1964, an American neurosurgeon performed a brain transplant. He removed the brain of one dog and transplanted it into the neck of another. The second dog's brain remained intact. White and his assistants connected the blood vessels of the transplanted brain to the blood vessels of the neck. The brain “living” in the neck remained under observation. Numerous devices monitored blood circulation and metabolism. The brain functioned normally in the other dog's body for six days. It was an incredible success!

However, a new problem arose. An electroencephalogram showed that the brain was alive. But does it fulfill its functions?

Meanwhile, in the USSR, the powers that be considered Demikhov’s work to be anti-scientific. The professor was developing a new technique for heart surgery, but experiments on dog head transplants were stopped. Some colleagues called Demidov a charlatan, and he was deprived of all privileges.

In 1966, White came to the USSR. Then a like-minded Russian told him that the dog’s head, separated by him from the body, showed signs of life for quite a long time - it reacted to light and sound. That is, she retained consciousness. Using Demikhov's experience, White decided to transplant the head of a monkey.

Preparations for the operation took three years. On March 14, 1970, White's team prepared for a unique experiment. Two monkeys were taken for the operation - Mary and LU-LU. Having tied off each blood vessel, the surgeons separated the head of the monkey Mary from the body, now the head was supplied with blood through a network of special tubes. Instruments showed that Mary's brain was alive. The final stage of the operation involved joining Mary's head to Lu-Lu's headless body. Surgeons sewed the arteries and veins together very quickly so that the brain would not die. Then they sewed the muscles and nerves together.

The professor and his assistants were waiting for a miracle, and it happened! When the anesthesia wore off, the monkey opened its eyes, it saw and heard, and after a few days it was even spoon-fed. White announced that the next step would be a human head transplant!

But, oddly enough, White achieved the same fate as Demikhov. The works came under attack from critics. They said that the doctor from Cleveland was crazy, Frankenstein, who wanted to populate the earth with monsters. The clerics were especially furious: “Is it possible to interfere with the Creator’s plan? Only God has the right to create living beings!” Many considered White's experiments immoral. Threats were made against the surgeon, and White and his family were protected by the police for several years. As a result of public backlash, government funding for White's laboratory ceased.

However, the surgeon's work raised a number of difficult philosophical questions. Where is the soul? Will a person with a head transplant retain their identity?

In recent years, a number of publications have appeared in the United States in which it was reported that White, at his own peril and risk, performed human head transplants using victims of car accidents. Allegedly, the new “combined” creature showed some kind of superhuman abilities. When the retired professor is asked about this, he just smiles.

Human is a very important step in the development of the science of transplantology. Previously, such an operation seemed impossible, since it was not possible to connect the spinal cord and brain. But according to Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero, nothing is impossible and this operation will still happen.

Some historical data

Even before 1900, it was described only in science fiction books. For example, Herbert Wells in his work “The Island of Doctor Moreau” describes experiments on animal organ transplants. Another science fiction writer of that time, in his novel “The Head of Professor Dowell,” proves that in the 19th century one could only dream of organ transplantation. The human head transplant was not just a myth, but a ridiculous fable.

The world turned upside down in 1905 when Dr. Edward Zirm transplanted a cornea into a recipient, and it took root. Already in 1933 in Kherson, the Soviet scientist Yu. Yu. Voronoi performed the first successful person-to-person tests. Every year, organ transplant operations gained momentum. Today, scientists are already able to transplant the cornea, heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver, upper and lower limbs, bronchi and genitals of men and women.

How and when will the first head transplant be performed?

If in 1900 one of the scientists had seriously talked about transplanting a human head, most likely he would have been considered crazy. However, in the 21st century they talk about this with complete seriousness. The operation has already been scheduled for 2017, and preparatory work is currently underway. A human head transplant is a very complex operation, which will involve a huge number of neurosurgeons from all over the world, but the Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero will supervise the transplantation.

In order for the first human head transplant to be successful, it will be necessary to cool the head and donor body to 15°C, but only for 1.5 hours, otherwise the cells will begin to die. During the operation, the arteries and veins will be sutured, and a polyethylene glycol membrane will be installed in the place where the spinal cord is located. Its function is to connect neurons at the site of the cut. The human head transplant operation is expected to take about 36 hours and cost $20 million.

Who will take the risk and for what?

A question that worries many people: “Who is the daredevil who decided to undergo a brain transplant?” Without delving into the depths of the problem, it seems that this undertaking is quite risky and could cost someone their life. The person who agreed to a head transplant is Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov. It turns out that a head transplant is a necessary measure for him. Since childhood, this talented scientist has suffered from myopathy. This is a disease that affects the muscle structure of the entire body. Every year the muscles weaken and atrophy. located on the anterior layers of the spinal cord are affected, and the person loses the ability to walk, swallow and hold his head.

The transplantation should help Valery restore all motor functions. Undoubtedly, a human head transplant operation is very risky, but what does someone who doesn’t have long to live have to lose? As for Valery Spiridonov (he is currently 31 years old), children with this disease most often do not even reach adulthood.

Difficulties in head transplantation

This is a very difficult task, which is why preparatory work will be carried out for almost 2 years before the operation. Let's try to figure out what exactly the difficulties will be and how Sergio Canavero plans to cope with them.

1. Nerve fibers. Between the head and body there are a huge number of neurons and conductors that do not recover after damage. We all know cases where a person managed to survive after a car accident, but lost motor activity for life due to damage to the cervical spinal cord. At the moment, highly qualified scientists are developing techniques that allow the introduction of substances that will restore damaged nerve endings.
2. Fabric compatibility. A human head transplant requires a donor (body) onto which it will be transplanted. It is necessary to select a new body as accurately as possible, because if the tissues of the brain and torso are incompatible, swelling will occur and the person will die. Currently, scientists are finding a way to combat tissue rejection.

Frankenstein could be a good lesson

Despite the fact that it would seem that a head transplant is very exciting and useful for society, there are also a number of negative circumstances. Many scientists from all over the world are against head transplantation. Without knowing the real reasons, this seems quite strange. But let's remember the story of Dr. Frankenstein. He had no evil intentions and sought to create a person who would help society, but his brainchild became an uncontrollable monster.

Many scientists draw a parallel between the experiments of Dr. Frankenstein and neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero. They believe that a person who has a head transplant may become uncontrollable. Moreover, if such an experiment succeeds, humanity will have the opportunity to live indefinitely, transplanting heads onto new young bodies over and over again. Of course, if this is a good promising scientist, then why shouldn’t he live forever? What if it is a criminal?

What will a head transplant bring to society?

After we have figured out whether a human head transplant is possible, let's think about what this experience can bring to modern science. In the world there are a huge number of diseases associated with dysfunction of the spinal cord. And although this part of the body has been thoroughly studied by many scientists around the world, an absolute solution to the problems associated with the innervation of the spinal cord has not been found.

In addition, in the cervical region there are cranial nerves that are responsible for vision, tactile sensations, and touch. No neurosurgeon has yet been able to cure their dysfunction. If a head transplant is successful, it will put the majority of disabled people back on their feet and save the lives of millions of people on the planet.

For a long time, 31-year-old Valery Spiridonov appeared as the person whose head would be the first to be transplanted onto a new body during a unique operation that Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero planned for the end of 2017.

But lately, Canavero has increasingly hinted cautiously that Spiridonov’s priority is in question. The fact is, the surgeon has finally decided on the location of the operation: it will take place in Harbin, China, where Canavero will be assisted by a large team of Chinese doctors led by transplantologist Ren Xiaoping.

Since the transplant will take place in China, Valery Spiridonov will not be the first patient, Canavero confirmed recently in an interview with LLC OOM. - He will be a Chinese citizen. This is due to completely understandable circumstances. We will have to look for donors among local residents. And we cannot give snow-white Valery the body of a person of a different race. We cannot yet name the new candidate. We are in the process of choosing.

Canavero named the cost of the operation - $15 million - and planned it for Catholic Christmas, December 25, 2017. But two months before this date, he is going to conduct a trial operation on patients who are in a state of clinical death. This will be done to hone the technique of the most complex surgical manipulation.

Meanwhile, Canavero says significant progress has been made in medical experiments on animals.

Firstly, Canavero demonstrated a two-headed “mutant” - it was created when the head of a small one was sewn to the neck of a large laboratory rat. Secondly, on June 14, a report on another experiment by Canavero and his friend Ren Xiaoping was published in the scientific journal CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics. Surgeons cut the spinal cord of 15 laboratory mice, the wounds of 9 of them were treated with polyethylene glycol - a substance that, according to Sergio Canavero, should regenerate nerve fibers and restore the patency of signals. And another 6 animals from another group - the control group - were treated with saline solution. Moreover, after 28 days, all 9 rodents treated using the Canavero method began to recover and began to move their limbs (unlike the poor fellows from the control group).

This is a sign that we are on the right track,” said the Italian neurosurgeon.

However, the luminaries of world science are still skeptical about Canavero’s idea.

They say the stumbling block is to reconnect the ends of the cut spinal cord into a single whole. The experiment with the two-headed rat has nothing to do with this at all, because Canavero did not try to fuse the spinal cord, but simply connected the blood vessels that allowed the second head to live on the body of another rat. Much more successful experiments of this kind were carried out by the Soviet scientist Vladimir Demikhov back in the 50s of the last century. Canavero's rat died after 6 hours, and Demikhov's two-headed dogs lived for about a month.

Regarding the article published in CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics, there is no evidence that the spinal cord of laboratory animals was cut completely and not partially. All of Canavero's achievements are so far visible only on paper. Until now, he has not presented to the scientific world a single animal that would restore motor functions after a complete rupture of the spinal cord.

Before you announce a human head transplant, show me a dog walking on stage with a donor body, says Paul Zachary Myers, Ph.D. in biology and professor at the University of Minnesota. - If Dr. Canavero’s technology had worked, we would have already been presented with such evidence.

So maybe it’s for the best that Valery Spiridonov avoided the fate of becoming Canavero’s first test subject?

Surely many remember the Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero, who intended to carry out no less than a human head transplant. Since then, it seemed that nothing new had happened other than statements, but, as it turned out, all this time Mr. Canavero was preparing not only for a head transplant operation, but also for a larger-scale brain transplant operation.

In addition to the ambitious plan, the first patient, Sergio, has also changed. Previously, the first patient was supposed to be Russian Valery Spiridonov, diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, but now the right to be the first has passed to a Chinese resident, whose name has not yet been announced. Chinese colleague Sergio Shaoping Ren also takes part in the conduct and preparation for the operation, and the choice of the patient will depend on the availability of a compatible donor.

The location of the operation has also changed: if previously the transplantation was planned to be carried out in Germany or the UK, now the operation is being prepared on the territory of the Harbin Medical Center. Despite the still fantastic claims about the future success of this manipulation, a group of scientists have already managed to successfully transplant the head of one rat to the body and head of a second, using the bloodstream of another rodent. With this, surgeons protected rats from blood loss and hypothermia. However, the donor rat clearly felt pain.

The unique operation is planned for December this year. And if the operation is successful, the Italian will begin working towards a brain transplant. According to the surgeon, on the one hand, this will be a less difficult task, since in this case it will not be necessary to transplant all the vessels, tendons, muscles and nerves. On the other hand, problems of a different nature may arise with the brain; for example, it is unknown how the human brain will react to the “replacement” of the body; in addition, the skull will have a different configuration.

For his purposes, Sergio Canavero is going to use the brains of people who have subjected their bodies to cryo-freezing. According to the specialist, perhaps as early as 2018, the first frozen patients will be able to return to life.

The science that studies organ transplantation is called transplantology. Just a few decades ago, the movement of tissue from one organism to another was considered something incredible. In modern surgical practice, internal organ transplantation is widespread. This is practiced to a greater extent in developed countries with a high level of medical care. Liver, kidney, and heart transplants are successfully performed. In recent years, doctors have begun performing limb transplants. Despite the high professionalism of surgeons, some operations end in failure. After all, the body does not always “accept” foreign organs. In some cases, tissue rejection may occur. Despite this, a famous practicing surgeon from Italy decided to take an incredible risk. The doctor is planning a head transplant operation. To many, this idea seems incredible and doomed to failure. However, surgeon Sergio Canavero is confident that head transplantation will be a huge breakthrough in medicine. To date, studies and attempts have been carried out to implement this manipulation on laboratory animals.

Head transplant surgery: description

In 2013, an Italian surgeon made a sensational statement to the whole world. He planned an operation to transplant the head of a living person onto the body of a corpse. This procedure has become of interest to people suffering from serious diseases that cause immobilization. Surgeon Sergio Canavero has already contacted the intended head donor. He turned out to be a young man from Russia. The patient was diagnosed with a severe pathology of the nervous system - congenital spinal muscle atrophy. At the moment, Valery Spiridonov is 30 years old. Despite quality care, his condition is rapidly deteriorating. The only functioning part of the patient's body is the head. Valery Spiridonov is aware of all the risks of the planned event, but he agrees to go for it. The first human head transplant operation is scheduled to take place in 2017.

Sergio Canavero estimates that the transplant will take about 36 hours. To carry out all stages of the operation, more than 100 qualified surgeons will be needed. During the transplant, doctors will change several times. A head transplant is a very complex surgical procedure. To carry it out successfully, you will need to connect many vessels, nerve fibers, bones and soft tissues of the neck. The most difficult stage of the operation will be the fastening of the spinal cord. For this purpose, a special glue based on polyethylene glycol was produced. Thanks to this substance, the growth of neurons occurs. Each stage of the operation is considered risky and can result in death. However, this does not frighten patient Valery Spiridonov. The doctor who planned the sensational operation is also optimistic. Canavero is almost confident of a favorable outcome of the procedure.

Ethical aspects of head transplantation

A topic such as human head transplantation causes strong emotions and controversy not only among doctors. In addition to the difficulties in performing a transplant and the risks to the patient’s life, there is another side to the coin. Thus, many people consider the planned procedure unacceptable from religious and ethical points of view. Indeed, it is difficult to comprehend that the head of a living person will be separated from the body and attached to the neck of a dead person. However, people suffering from severe progressive pathologies do not have to think about ethics. For many patients, a head transplant will be an incredible miracle. After all, people doomed to disability will have a new body. Due to the fact that the operation has not yet been carried out and its outcome is unknown, the public has a controversial attitude towards this issue.

Research

The first research in the field of head transplantation was the experiment of scientist Charles Guthrie. It was held in 1908. The experiment involved transplanting a second head onto the dog's neck. The animal did not live long, but it was possible to note a slight reflex activity of the transplanted body part.

In the 1950s, Russian scientist Vladimir Demikhov managed to achieve better results. Although his laboratory animals also did not survive long after transplantation, the transplanted heads were fully functional. Demikhov significantly reduced the time of hypoxia of separated tissues. Similar operations on dogs were later carried out by Chinese scientists. In the 1970s, White transplanted a head into a monkey. At the same time, the animal’s sense organs functioned.

In 2002, experiments were conducted on laboratory rats in Japan. As for the planned intervention, polyethylene glycol was used. The dissected tissues were refrigerated to prevent cell death. In addition, Sergio Canavero stated that his latest research involving monkeys has recently resulted in a head transplant. It ended happily. The scientist regards the positive result as a signal to conduct an experiment on humans. If the public and scientific community approve of this project, people will soon learn about its results.

Human head transplant: the opinion of scientists

Despite the Italian surgeon's positive attitude, scientists and doctors do not share his enthusiasm. Most of them do not believe in the success of the venture. In addition, many doctors believe that head transplants are unacceptable for ethical reasons. The pessimism of colleagues does not affect the scientist’s decision in any way. Canavero recently said that the transplant would take place with the consent of the state board members.

For what diseases is surgery necessary?

At the moment, it is too early to say whether such an operation will be performed in practice in the future. However, if the outcome is favorable, the scientist will experience incredible success. If head transplantation becomes possible, many patients will gain healthy bodies. Indications for transplantation include:

1. Tetraplegia developed against the background of cerebrovascular accident.
2. Muscular spinal atrophy.
3. Spinal cord injuries at the level of the cervical vertebrae.

Difficulties of surgical intervention

A head transplant is a technically complex procedure. During its implementation, doctors may encounter many difficulties. Among them:

1. Tissue death during head separation. To prevent this, scientists intend to cool the head to 15 degrees. At the same time, neurons must maintain their viability.
2. Risk of rejection of the transplanted body part.
3. Long-term connection of the spinal cord after surgery. In order for the nerve tissue to be correctly mapped, the patient is planned to be placed in a comatose state for 1 month.

Possible outcomes of head transplant surgery

Considering that such operations have not been performed on people before, the outcome of this procedure is impossible to predict. Even if all manipulations are performed correctly, it is unknown how this experiment may end. Scientists do not rule out the possibility that the spinal cord will be damaged and the patient will not be able to move. However, even in this case, the operation will be an incredible breakthrough in transplantation.

Head transplant cost

How much does a head transplant cost and when will it be introduced into practice? It is not yet possible to answer these questions. Nevertheless, some information is available. Thus, an assessment of the equipment and necessary materials for the planned transplantation showed that the cost would be about 11 million dollars. In addition, in case of a favorable outcome, long-term rehabilitation will be required. According to the Italian scientist, the patient will be able to move independently a year after the operation.