New Scientist reports that a surgeon in Russia says they have performed the world's first spinal cord transplant. The operation used a piece of spinal cord from a brain-dead donor and was carried out on a person with a complete spinal cord injury.
The surgeon's account has not been independently confirmed. Researchers quoted by New Scientist have raised concerns about the procedure, though the article does not detail the specific nature of those concerns.
Because this report comes from a single source, the details remain unverified and should be treated as a claim rather than an established medical milestone.