A transplant of head in men in 2 years ? Premature !

The neurologist Italian Sergio Canavero, Alessandro Di Marco/AP/SIPA

Published the 20.10.2017 at 07: 30

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registry têteSergio Canaveroneurochirurgie

Hope is foolish in the great paralyzed, Dr. Sergio Canavero says that it will reproduce on the man, before two years, as an American, Dr. Robert White, had already succeeded in the 70s on monkeys. The first transplanted had survived only a few days, but these operations were then refined, up to the point where a head transplant could have survived indefinitely on its new body. Building from this model, the surgeon Italian believes that the transplantation of the head on a healthy body, applied to humans, could save many patients with diseases not affecting the head, quadriplegic (paralyzed in all four limbs), or even to all those with a deadly disease that does not touch the brain. “Sometimes it’s hope that feeds the despair.”

Neurosurgeons judge with severity the effect of the announcement of their Italian colleague. Canavero comes here to relay an old dream, but it does not advance us closer to it. As regards the donor, it will have to be in a state of brain death, but having a body in good condition. Canavero describes the intervention in detail : “the head of The receiver will be cooled. It will stick on the body of the donor, we will reconnect the spinal cord and various tissues. If the patient survives the operation, it will be necessary then that he began a long convalescence, to adapt to her new body and relearn how to move “. On any problems to which they may be confronted, the doctor was, again, an answer for everything. “The most difficult part is to restore the continuity of the spinal cord, this detail is now resolved thanks to the use of chemical materials, that help to restore the links between the nerve fibres “.

The only difficulties would be material, ” said Dr Canavero : a very high cost, and the mobilization of more than 100 people… total estimated Cost : ten million euros.

Everything is plausible : connecting vessels is not complicated, on the other hand, stick the spinal cords rest for the time being totally impractical. In theory, by putting the two ends of the nerves in a solution consisting of two polymers, polyethylene glycol and chitosan, it is possible to make merge of the nerve cells. This has never been done successfully, in the lower animal. It was nice to have the best biological glue, growth factors are most effective to repel cells, or learn to reconnect with a lot of patience and attention to detail on the part of a nerve, in this intervention, it will have to do this millions of times… Even if, as the author suggests, only 10% of descending pathways are sufficient to ensure that a motor function acceptable for the new body, 10 % of millions of nerves, this includes carrying out, for thousands of nerve cells, a mechanical alignment. What we do not know how to do… Not before time !

By then, we will evolve probably in virtual worlds have been so dematerialized that the question no longer arises… the Last detail, the intervention described by the surgeon Italian does not bear its true name : the recipient, keeping his head, it would be more judicious to speak of a body transplant !