Italian Dr. Canavero, initiator of head transplant surgery [Photo: xinmin.cn]

It's reported that a Chinese patient is likely to undergo the world's first full head transplant at the end of 2017.

The Times of India says it has spoken to an Italian Doctor, Sergio Canavero, the initiator of the head transplant surgery procedure, who said that a medical team had been assembled and that the surgery would take place in China.

Canavero said the team had mastered the techniques, and what they now needed was public support and finance.

The Italian surgeon said he planned to unveil his team, consisting of doctors from China, South Korea and Russia, to the public this June, in Maryland in the United States.

The surgery would take place at a room temperature of 12 degree Celsius, connecting the head of the patient to a recently deceased body.

It's anticipated the patient would be in comma for several weeks, during which time it's hoped muscles and nerves will grow and connect to each other. After a year's treatment, Sergio Canavero said the patient should be able to walk for themselves.

Some experts have argued that, even if the patient survived such a transplant, they would most likely suffer from paralysis in the future.

In 1970, the first head transplant was performed on a monkey, but the animal was unable to move as the spinal cords were not connected. The monkey died after eight days because the body rejected the head.