Note that this is just announcing that the surgery "is expected to take place soon" - it's not a story about a successful operation. The news is that they received approval to do this as a trial with eight patients a few months back, and now have the first patient going through the process.

Forgive my skepticism but this doesn't pass the smell test. In order to transplant the new spinal cord, they must first remove the old one. This involves cutting through the spinal bones and discs, then cutting the existing spinal cord out and severing all of its nerve connections to the rest of the body. The reason spinal cord injuries are so problematic is because the spinal cord nerves do not heal when cut. (The only exception being the lower lumbar portion.) I'm failing to see how severing the old cord to replace it with a new one won't just result in a more seriously paralyzed patient.

Reminds me of this research: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/enrichment-... Amazing how far we managed to get in less than 3 years!