Head transplants are inching toward reality in China.

The Wall Street Journal reports that scientists at Harbin Medical University have performed head transplants on nearly 1,000 mice since July 2013, testing various ways to help them survive longer than their record so far of one day after the surgery.

A peer-reviewed international journal, CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, published the team’s work in December.


Lead researcher Xiaoping Ren. M.D., said he plans to turn to monkeys this summer, hoping to create the first head-transplanted primate that can live and breathe on its own, at least for a little while.

Since the mid-1990s, the Chinese government has been pouring money into scientific research in the area.

“China right now, they want to go to the top,” Dr. Ren told the Journal. “If you think there’s a really great benefit in research, China can put resources to support you.”