Are We Ready for a Human Head Transplant? The Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

John H. Barker; Allen Furr; Juan P. Barret; Mark A. Hardy

doi:10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7

Are We Ready for a Human Head Transplant? The Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

John H. Barker^*, Allen Furr, Juan P. Barret, Mark A. Hardy

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Surgery

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Research › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Saving an individual’s life by replacing his/her terminally diseased body with a healthy donor body would be an extraordinary scientific achievement. However, body-to-head transplantation (BHT) is neither a conventional proposal nor necessarily a logical “next step” in transplantation medicine. This review highlights the major hurdles standing in the way of performing human BHT. Recent Findings: Recent human BHT publicity was initiated by Sergio Canavero’s TED talk “Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now” (At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHCHv5u3O4) and a number of public interviews promising to perform the first human case by December 2017, despite little research and public discourse on this subject. Both are necessary in the development of innovative and perhaps paradigm-shifting surgeries. Summary: Relatively little research has been conducted on BHT. This review discusses several major questions that have yet to be answered such as viability of spinal cord reconnection, immunological issues related to head-brain-body rejection, ethical and psychosocial issues posing questions regarding informed consent, and psychological consequences. The ethical, surgical, immunological, and psychosocial requisites to perform human BHT successfully are extraordinarily complex and at this time lack adequate experimental foundation.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	189-198
Number of pages	10
Journal	Current Transplantation Reports
Volume	5
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

Ethics
Frontiers in surgery
Head transplantation
Immunology
Psychosocial
Reconstructive transplant surgery

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7

Cite this

@article{42dd8aec8f0440d5b33d726fcbc713de,

title = "Are We Ready for a Human Head Transplant? The Obstacles That Must Be Overcome",

abstract = "Purpose of Review: Saving an individual{\textquoteright}s life by replacing his/her terminally diseased body with a healthy donor body would be an extraordinary scientific achievement. However, body-to-head transplantation (BHT) is neither a conventional proposal nor necessarily a logical “next step” in transplantation medicine. This review highlights the major hurdles standing in the way of performing human BHT. Recent Findings: Recent human BHT publicity was initiated by Sergio Canavero{\textquoteright}s TED talk “Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now” (At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHCHv5u3O4) and a number of public interviews promising to perform the first human case by December 2017, despite little research and public discourse on this subject. Both are necessary in the development of innovative and perhaps paradigm-shifting surgeries. Summary: Relatively little research has been conducted on BHT. This review discusses several major questions that have yet to be answered such as viability of spinal cord reconnection, immunological issues related to head-brain-body rejection, ethical and psychosocial issues posing questions regarding informed consent, and psychological consequences. The ethical, surgical, immunological, and psychosocial requisites to perform human BHT successfully are extraordinarily complex and at this time lack adequate experimental foundation.",

keywords = "Ethics, Frontiers in surgery, Head transplantation, Immunology, Psychosocial, Reconstructive transplant surgery",

author = "Barker, {John H.} and Allen Furr and Barret, {Juan P.} and Hardy, {Mark A.}",

year = "2018",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7",

language = "Ingl{\'e}s estadounidense",

volume = "5",

pages = "189--198",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Are We Ready for a Human Head Transplant? The Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

AU - Barker, John H.

AU - Furr, Allen

AU - Barret, Juan P.

AU - Hardy, Mark A.

PY - 2018/6/1

Y1 - 2018/6/1

N2 - Purpose of Review: Saving an individual’s life by replacing his/her terminally diseased body with a healthy donor body would be an extraordinary scientific achievement. However, body-to-head transplantation (BHT) is neither a conventional proposal nor necessarily a logical “next step” in transplantation medicine. This review highlights the major hurdles standing in the way of performing human BHT. Recent Findings: Recent human BHT publicity was initiated by Sergio Canavero’s TED talk “Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now” (At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHCHv5u3O4) and a number of public interviews promising to perform the first human case by December 2017, despite little research and public discourse on this subject. Both are necessary in the development of innovative and perhaps paradigm-shifting surgeries. Summary: Relatively little research has been conducted on BHT. This review discusses several major questions that have yet to be answered such as viability of spinal cord reconnection, immunological issues related to head-brain-body rejection, ethical and psychosocial issues posing questions regarding informed consent, and psychological consequences. The ethical, surgical, immunological, and psychosocial requisites to perform human BHT successfully are extraordinarily complex and at this time lack adequate experimental foundation.

AB - Purpose of Review: Saving an individual’s life by replacing his/her terminally diseased body with a healthy donor body would be an extraordinary scientific achievement. However, body-to-head transplantation (BHT) is neither a conventional proposal nor necessarily a logical “next step” in transplantation medicine. This review highlights the major hurdles standing in the way of performing human BHT. Recent Findings: Recent human BHT publicity was initiated by Sergio Canavero’s TED talk “Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now” (At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EHCHv5u3O4) and a number of public interviews promising to perform the first human case by December 2017, despite little research and public discourse on this subject. Both are necessary in the development of innovative and perhaps paradigm-shifting surgeries. Summary: Relatively little research has been conducted on BHT. This review discusses several major questions that have yet to be answered such as viability of spinal cord reconnection, immunological issues related to head-brain-body rejection, ethical and psychosocial issues posing questions regarding informed consent, and psychological consequences. The ethical, surgical, immunological, and psychosocial requisites to perform human BHT successfully are extraordinarily complex and at this time lack adequate experimental foundation.

KW - Ethics

KW - Frontiers in surgery

KW - Head transplantation

KW - Immunology

KW - Psychosocial

KW - Reconstructive transplant surgery

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074508279&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7

DO - 10.1007/s40472-018-0196-7

M3 - Artículo de revisión

AN - SCOPUS:85074508279

VL - 5

SP - 189

EP - 198

IS - 2

ER -

Are We Ready for a Human Head Transplant? The Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this