THE PIONEER WHO PLANS THE FIRST HUMAN HEAD TRANSPLANTATION
Prof. Sergio Canavero, MD,
is a renowned neurosurgeon from Turin, Italy, who plans the first human head transplantation in the world.
He is the former director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group and developed the GEMINI protocol, the scientific spinal cord fusion protocol for the first human head transplantation. Prior to that, Prof. Canavero worked as a neurosurgeon at the University Hospital Turin, Italy, for 22 years.
Mr. Canavero graduated cum laude from the University of Turin, passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences (USMLE) in Philadelphia, PA, USA, was a visiting physician at the Neurosurgical Division of Karolinska Hospital Stockholm, Sweden, and is a professor honoris causa of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Mr. Canavero was a member of the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons (AANOS), a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, an intern at the Neurological and Neurosurgical Hospital Pierre Wertheimer in Lyon, France, and a consultant for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), USA.
He has written numerous scientific books, including Central Pain Syndrome. Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management (Cambridge University Press; Canavero S, Bonicalzi V), Textbook of Therapeutic Cortical Stimulation (New York: Nova Biomedical), Textbook of Cortical Brain Stimulation (DeGruyter Open), and Immortal. Why Consciousness is Not in the Brain (Amazon), among others.
Mr. Canavero has published or contributed to more than 140 scientific articles (see list below). He speaks eight languages.
THE HEAD TRANSPLANT
HOW WE WILL PERFORM THE SURGERY
Donor is a brain-dead patient, matched for height and build as well as immunotype, and screened for the absence of active systemic and brain disorders. The procedure will be conducted in a specially designed operating suite that would be large enough to accommodate equipment for two surgeries conducted simultaneously by two separate surgical teams. Both Recipient (the patient whose head, but not body, is intact) and Donor (a brain-dead patient) will be intubated and ventilated through a tracheotomy. Temperature probes will be positioned in the tympanum, nasopharynx, bladder, and rectum.
Surgery in sitting position. To protect the brain during the transfer of the head onto the body, cooling (deep hypothermia) will be achieved by inserting two catheters into the carotid arteries of Recipient and one into the femoral artery, all attached to a cooling unit that lowers the blood temperature. The brain temperature can also be decreased by the intra-arterial (via the internal carotid artery) local infusion of cold (4–8°C) fluid. More protective measures will be taken at this time. Donor will not receive any kind of cooling. Both patients will be in the standard neurosurgical sitting position after the induction of hypothermia in Recipient. The sitting position will facilitate the surgical maneuvers of the two surgical teams. In particular, a custom made turning stand acting as a crane will be used for shifting Recipient’s head onto Donor’s neck. Recipient’s head, previously fixed in a three pin fixation ring, will literally hang from the stand during transference, joined by long Velcro straps, for a few seconds. The suspending apparatus will allow surgeons to reconnect the head in comfort.
The two teams, working in concert, will make deep incisions around each patient’s neck, above the collar-bones, carefully separating all of the anatomical structures (at the C5/6 level forward below the cricoid) to expose the carotid and vertebral arteries, jugular veins and spine, and all relevant structures. All muscles in both Recipient and Donor will be color coded with markers to facilitate later linkage. Besides the axial incisions, three other cuts will be carried out, both for later spinal stabilization and access to the carotids, trachea, esophagus, and other neck structures (Recipient’s thyroid gland is left in situ): two along the anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoids, plus one standard long midline cervical incision.
A clean cut with the GEMIN-o-tome. Under the operating microscope, the cords in both subjects will be clean cut simultaneously as the last step before separation. This will be achieved with a next-generation blade called the GEMIN-o-tome, which self-guides itself to achieve the cleanest section possible. Some slack must be allowed for further severance to fashion a strain-free fusion and side-step the natural retraction of the two segments away from the transection plane.
Once Recipient’s head is separated, it will be transferred onto Donor’s body and attached via silicone tubes to Donor’s circulation; at this point, Donor’s head would have already been removed. This step will be relatively quick. Transferring the head onto Donor’s body will take only a few seconds since the two surgical beds will be only 2.5 meters away. Circulation will be restarted after the head’s circulatory system is linked to Donor’s circulatory system, first with tubes, then with stitches. Upon linkage, Donor’s flow will immediately start to rewarm Recipient’s head. The previously exposed vertebral arteries will also be reconstructed.
The C5 vertebral body of Recipient will be linked to the C6 vertebral body of Donor via a specially crafted fixation pin that stabilizes the head immediately and then with standard fixation techniques. The two cord stumps will be joined by a specially crafted microconnector that keeps the two stumps together and prevents any dislocation during the fusion process. Inside this connector, a fusogen will be circulated immediately to kickstart the process. A spinal cord stimulator will be applied and lodged onto the connector. Electricity will speed up the process.
The trachea, esophagus, vagi, phrenic, and other nerves will be reconnected and fused. All muscles will be joined appropriately using the markers. Plastic surgeons will sew the skin for maximal cosmetic results.
Recipient will then be brought to the intensive care unit (ICU), where he/she will be kept sedated for a few days to 2-3 weeks and then reawakened when electrical conduction is confirmed. Appropriate physiotherapy with more electrical stimulation and other technologies will be instituted during follow-up until maximal recovery is achieved.
MY MISSION: WHY DOING IT
THE FIRST HUMAN HEAD TRANSPLANTATION
It was in the 1970s when I first heard about the experiments of Dr. Robert J. White, an American neurosurgeon who performed the first head transplantation from one monkey onto the body of another. Although the monkey was paralyzed from the neck down, his cranial nerves within the brain were intact, and he could still hear, eat, smell, taste, and follow objects with his eyes. He lived for nine days and died as a result of immune rejection, which could not be treated effectively at that time. Prof. White performed more than 10,000 surgeries on humans during his career; authored more than 900 scientific publications; became an advisor to Pope John Paul II on medical ethics; received several honorary doctorates; was appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; and, as a devout Roman Catholic, prayed before each surgery.
A new life for Steven Hawking. In the 1990s, Prof. White planned to perform the first head transplantation on humans. It was hoped he could help individuals such as Steven Hawking or actor Christopher Reeve. However, this never happened.
A giant leap for mankind. When I first heard of Prof. White’s plans, I knew instantly that such an operation would be a giant leap for mankind. Prof. White was an excellent surgeon, and he proved that a brain can survive detachment from the spine. He succeeded totally. When I went to medical school, I was convinced that before I become a doctor, the first human head transplantation would have been performed. But it didn’t happen. So I decided to do it. It became the goal of my life. I am into the first human head transplantation since 30 years now.
I founded HEAVEN, the Head Anastomosis Venture, and developed the GEMINI protocol, the project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage. Today, I am collaborating with two groups: one in China, led by my friend Xiaoping Ren and based on my GEMINI protocol with the plan for the entire procedure. This includes a first testing on brain-dead donors, a full head swap, and the first head transplantation on a human being with a life expectancy of a maximum of three months. The other one is in Russia.
Hope for millions. Imagine if we succeed. Think of the possibilities for patients with spinal paralysis after traumatic spinal cord transections and people who are sitting in wheelchairs. We could change the lives of paraplegic patients entirely. Prof. Michael Sarr, editor of the journal Surgery and a renowned surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, predicted a “98 percent chance” of success for the operation. If we succeed, this transplantation could change the lives of thousands or even millions of people around the globe.
Ethical questions. No doubt, what we are planning is controversial and will raise many ethical questions. I totally respect them. But as a scientist, I know that a human head transplantation could be successful, and therefore, it is my responsibility and duty to try my best to make it possible.
Christiaan Barnard, the pioneering surgeon who performed the first human heart transplantation, was criticized for his plan not only by the scientific community but also even by churches, who supposed the heart to be the seat of consciousness. Despite the criticism, he didn’t drop his plan. His patient survived the first heart transplantation for only 18 days, but his surgery changed the history of medicine and brought life to thousands of people.
When is a head transplant successful? That is what one of my colleagues asked me. The first plane that was built was the Wright Flyer, whose first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903 lasted just 12 seconds for a total distance of 120 feet. It was not a Boeing 747—it was just the beginning. The first patient maybe will not run like an athlete, but he will be able to walk.
Is there life after death? But the first human head transplantation is much more than just a surgery. It will allow us to answer many fundamental questions: Is there life after death? Does heaven exist? Or is our physical death the final end? If we prove that the brain does not generate consciousness, it would have immense implications for our lives – and on our religions.
Will a human head transplantation be possible one day? It will. And this day will be one of the finest hours in the history of medicine.
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
(SELECTED)
Books
Canavero S, Bonicalzi V. Central pain syndrome. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007 (1st ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2011 (2nd ed.), Springer (forthcoming) (3rd ed.)
Canavero S (Editor). Textbook of therapeutic cortical stimulation. New York: Nova Biomedical, 2009
Canavero S (Editor). Textbook of cortical brain stimulation. DeGruyter Open, 2014
Canavero S. Immortal. Why Consciousness is Not in the Brain. Amazon, 2014
Canavero S. Head Transplantation and the Quest for Immortality. Amazon, 2014
Canavero S, Bonicalzi V. Central pain syndrome. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007 (1st ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2011 (2nd ed.), Springer (forthcoming) (3rd ed.)
Canavero S (Editor). Textbook of therapeutic cortical stimulation. New York: Nova Biomedical, 2009
Canavero S (Editor). Textbook of cortical brain stimulation. DeGruyter Open, 2014
Journals
Canavero S, Ren XP. Houston, GEMINI has landed: Spinal cord fusion achieved. Surg Neurol Int. 2016 Sept (in press)
Leskowitz E, Alexander J, Canavero S. Psychics and Surgery: The energy dynamics of human head transplantation – A Trialogue. WISE J 2016; 5:25-37
Canavero S, Ren X, Kim CY, Rosati E. Neurologic foundations of spinal cord fusion (GEMINI). Surgery. 2016 Jul; 160(1):11-9.
Ren X, Orlova EV, Maevsky EI, Bonicalzi V, Canavero S. Brain protection during cephalosomatic anastomosis. Surgery. 2016 Jul; 160(1):5-10.
Canavero S, Ren XP. Editorial commentary. The Spark of Life: Engaging the Cortico-Truncoreticulo-Propriospinal Pathway by Electrical Stimulation. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016 Feb 17; doi:10.1111/cns.12520
Canavero S, Bonicalzi V. Central Pain Following Cord Severance for Cephalosomatic Anastomosis. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016 Feb 16; doi:10.1111/cns.12527.
Ren XP, Canavero S. Human head transplantation. Where do we stand and a call to arms. Surgical Neurology Int 2016 Jan 28; 7:11
Canavero S. Commentary (to: Ethical Considerations regarding Head Transplantation). Surgical Neurology Int 2015 June 15; 6:103
Canavero S. Editorial. The “Gemini” spinal cord fusion protocol: Reloaded. Surgical Neurology Int 2015 Feb 3; 6:18.
Canavero S. HEAVEN: The HEad Anastomosis VENture. Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage (GEMINI). Surgical Neurology Int 2013 Jun 13; 4(Suppl 1):S335-42
GLOBAL COVERAGE
THOUSANDS OF ARTICLES ON THE MAN WHO COULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF HUMAN HISTORY
Prof. Sergio Canavero and his plan for the first human head transplantation has led to thousands of reports and articles in the print media, online, on television, and on the radio around the globe.
Television networks such as CBS, ABC, CNN, sky, ITV, BBC, RTL, CCTV, and RAI have reported on the first human head transplantation. In addition, publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Die Welt, OOOM, Newsweek, Zeit, SPIEGEL, BILD, Daily Mail, Forbes, The Guardian, FAZ, Huffington Post, NZZ, Mirror, Time, Paris Match, La Repubblica, El Mundo, The Independent covered Prof. Canavero’s plan.
