Head transplant doctors claim spinal cord progress

HARBIN, CHINA — Surgeons from Italy and China claimed that two studies published Wednesday add evidence to their ability to treat irreversible spinal-cord injuries that will someday lead to the world's first human head transplant, according to USA Today.
Sergio Canavero and Ren Xiaoping said new work they published in the journal Surgical Neurology International showed that monkeys and dogs were able to walk again after having their spinal cords "fully transected" during surgery and then put back together.

The experimental procedures were conducted at Harbin Medical University in China and were supported by video evidence.
The procedure involves applying a polyethylene glycol substance, or PEG, "to mend" severed or injured spinal cords.
Further research is needed on PEG in order to establish if it is ultimately able to help patients with spinal cord injuries and paralysis.
Canavero and Ren have said previously that they want to use the technique with PEG as a basis for human head transplants.

According to USA Today, most medical experts say attempting the procedure in humans would be a long shot.