Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Tue 06 Jun 2004Scientists prepare for full-face transplantUS Scientists are preparing to perform the world's first full-face transplant. The 24-hour operation involves lifting an entire face from a dead donor - including nose cartilage, nerves and muscles - and transferring them to someone disfigured by burns or other injuries.A team at the University of Louisville in Kentucky has submitted a 30-page request to the university's ethics committee, New Scientist magazine reported last week.