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Russian Man May Become First Person To Have Head Transplant

Russian Man May Become First Person To Have Head Transplant
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Editors Note: This image may have been digitally manipulated for confidentiality to remove any patient identidy data. Theatre staff perform a surgical procedure in the operating theatre at Birmingham Women's Hospital on January 22, 2015 in Birmingham, England. Birmingham Women's Hospital provides a range of health services to women and their families using the latest scientific procedures and care. Last year the maternity unit delivered over 8,000 babies, cared for 50,000 patients and performed over 3000 procedures in it's state of the art theatres. The hospital is also home to world renowned research scientists, fertility clinic and the national sperm bank. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Editors Note: This image may have been digitally manipulated for confidentiality to remove any patient identidy data. Theatre staff perform a surgical procedure in the operating theatre at Birmingham Women's Hospital on January 22, 2015 in Birmingham, England. Birmingham Women's Hospital provides a range of health services to women and their families using the latest scientific procedures and care. Last year the maternity unit delivered over 8,000 babies, cared for 50,000 patients and performed over 3000 procedures in it's state of the art theatres. The hospital is also home to world renowned research scientists, fertility clinic and the national sperm bank. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

LONDON: A 30-year-old Russian computer scientist with a rare, genetic muscle wasting disease is set to become the first person in the world to have his head transplanted onto a healthy donor body.

Valery Spiridonov from Vladimir, has approached Italian surgeon Dr Sergio Canavero who recently claimed to have developed a technique that would allow the world's first human head transplant to take place within the next two years.

Spiridonov volunteered for the radical procedure that would see his head re-attached to a healthy donor body. "My decision is final and I do not plan to change my mind," said Spiridonov, who is battling the rare genetic Werdnig-Hoffman muscle wasting disease.

Spiridonov said he did not have many choices. "If I don't try this chance my fate will be very sad. With every year my state is getting worse," he said. Spiridonov has talked to Canavero but the doctor has not reviewed the man's medical records.

According to CNN, Canavero claims he has a stack of emails and letters from people who want this procedure. Many of them are transsexuals who want a new body.

But he insists the first patients will be people who are suffering from a muscle wasting disease.

Canavero also requires a major academic medical center to host this endeavour and he has his eyes set on the US.

Canavero is due to present his plan to the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons, or AANOS, at its annual conference in June. If he does not get the support in the US, the surgeon will look to China and his timeline will slide by a year, CNN reported.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.