‘I did NOT think I’d get involved in ANYTHING like THIS’
At 24, William Sikkema may hold the “linchpin” to what could become the most brazen experiment in the history of medicine.
The Langley, B.C ., native, now a PhD graduate student at Rice University in Houston, Texas, has developed a substance dubbed Texas-PEG composed of graphene “nanoribbons” and a common polymer to help knit severed spinal cords.
In a recent experiment conducted at Konkuk University in Seoul, researchers severed the spinal cords of five female rats, and swabbed the two stumps with Sikkema’s solution. Four rats drowned in a freak lab flood but, two weeks after surgery, the surviving rat could walk without losing balance, stand on its hind limbs and use its front paws to feed itself pellets.
The recovery was “night and day” compared to the polymer that Sergio Canavero initially planned to use for the head transplant.
National Post spoke to Sikkema about how he feels about his role in what the maverick Italian brain surgeon is planning:
“I had read an article on Reddit ( in January) about how Sergio was planning this head transplant, and he had this material called polyethylene glycol that did some ( spinal) re-fusion.
“I emailed him, saying, ‘ I have this idea. If you’re interested, I could write up a whole proposal and put you in contact with my prof, and we could talk about it more.’ He sent back a three- word email an hour later: “Yes. Do it.
“The hardest part of a human head transplant is reconnecting the spinal cord. And so you really need a solution that would fix that. So I think this will make it work. I think this is the linchpin, the last piece of the puzzle. Sergio has solved most of the pieces of the puzzle. But I think this will make it work.
“I’m actually a little concerned about the ( head transplant). I’m a chemist; I’m not a biologist or a surgeon. I get my information from Sergio. But from other surgeons I’ve talked to, they seem relatively skeptical it will work at all.
“Sergio seems pretty confident. The risk is ( Valery Spiridonov, the first human volunteer) could die. That’s a pretty obvious risk. But I think if anything, my material mitigates that risk.
“I am conflicted. I’m not sure exactly where I stand. But my feeling is, ( Spiridonov) is going to die very soon anyway, and he’s volunteered for the surgery. Sergio is going to do it, regardless of what I do, or what I give him. But I can make it safer. I can lower the risk.
“This is not really science. This is outside the realm of science at this point. I did not think I’d get involved in anything like this when I was starting my undergraduate degree. But then I pursued biomedical nanotechnology, and this field opens up possibilities for things that have never been done before. I’m also working on an artificial retina that will potentially give high- resolution vision to blind people. “I’m more interested in the potential of Texas- PEG for spinal cord repair. I’m less interested in the whole body transplant Sergio has planned. Even if the head transplant surgery doesn’t work, I think this material holds great promise f or t he t housands of paraplegics and quadriplegics around
THIS IS NOT REALLY SCIENCE. THIS IS OUTSIDE THE REALM.
the world.
“My dad and mom are both scientists. My dad is a physics prof at Trinity Western University; my mom is a horticulturist. We’ve talked about (the head transplant) a little bit. They just think it’s fantastic this material has the promise to do spinal cord repair; they haven’t told me not to do the science because it’s ‘ evil.’ They realize people were opposed to heart transplants and blood transfusions, even, because it sounded weird and strange.
“( When not in the lab) I play the violin. I keep bees. Right now I’m preparing for my wedding (Dec. 28). We’re getting married in Kelowna.
“I hope ( the surgery) will work. If it does work, it would be fantastic for my career. Right now I’m just a grad student. It would be great to have that on my resume, if it works.”
THE MECHANICALS AND NERVE IMPULSES ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, AND I WOULD PREDICT (RESULT IN) SEVERE DEMENTIA. — RENOWNED ETHICIST ARTHUR CAPLAN