Could the World’s First Head Transplant Happen?

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by Wendy Henderson |

In this Newsbreaker video shared in June 2015, a Russian man has volunteered to undergo the world’s first head transplant surgery in a bid to cure his muscular dystrophy.

Watch an animated explanation of muscular dystrophy here. 

Italian doctor, Sergio Canavero, is hoping to perform the controversial procedure on 31-year-old patient Valery Spiridonov, sometime in 2017 in China. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Canavero explains that his plans have been met with much protest in his native Italy, from both the Catholic church and the medical world, but he plans to go ahead regardless.

Dr. Canavero estimates the cost of the procedure to be around $15 million and would require a medical team of around 150 people, including 80 surgeons. The medical world remains deeply skeptical about Canavero’s plans, considering early animal tests of the procedure have not been successful.

FDA approves Sarepta’s Exondy’s 51 as first therapy for Duchenne MD. Find out more here. 

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