Valery Spiridonov, a terminally ill Russian man, has volunteered to undergo the world's first human head transplant in a procedure named HEAVEN (head anastomosis venture). Spiridonov suffers from Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a rare medical condition.
The Russian is a 30-year-old computer scientist who was one year old when he was diagnosed with the genetic disease that has no known cure, according to Tech Times. He said that his decision is "final."
Dr. Sergio Canavero is the Italian neurosurgeon who is preparing to conduct the procedure. He believes that HEAVEN will be successful.
Canavero is being called a real version of the fictional scientist Victor Frankenstein, who used various human body parts to create new creatures. Frankenstein was main character in Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" in 1818.
The doctor has already received several letters and e-mails from people who want this type of medical procedure. However, he insists that the first patient be suffering from a muscle-wasting disorder like Werdnig-Hoffman.
Spiridonov's physical state is worsening, so he is eager to undergo HEAVEN. He argues that he does not have "many choices," according to IBT UK.
HEAVEN would reportedly last a maximum of 36 hours, and would cost an estimated $11 million. Dr. Canavero's medical team would include about 150 doctors and nurses.
The Italian surgeon projects that two years will be required for his team to be in "perfect synchronization." He points out that in 1970, Dr. Robert White, an American surgeon, successfully transplanted the head of a monkey onto the body of another monkey, which lived for another nine days thereafter.
Dr. White did a similar experiment with six monkey heads in 1971. The animals all died within 24 hours.
In his paperwork that outlines his proposed procedure, Dr. Canavero explains that science and medicine have advanced greatly since Dr. White's experiments. He insists that HEAVEN will work.
After the new head is attached to the patient's body, a glue-like material (polyethylene glycol) will attach the two ends of the spinal cord. The patient will then be placed in a coma for a month, in order to heal.
Dr. Canavero says that HEAVEN is already partially funded.