A joint Chinese and Russian medical team has reportedly performed the world’s first spinal cord transplant on a paralysed patient in Moscow, using a technique designed to fuse tissue, according to The South China Morning Post.

The operation lasted 12 hours and involved replacing a damaged section of the patient’s spinal cord with tissue from a brain-dead donor, according to Chinese surgeon Ren Xiaoping.

Ren said the procedure was carried out at the Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine in Russia. The patient had suffered a spinal cord injury three years earlier, which had left the spinal cord severed.

According to New Scientist, the team removed the damaged section and replaced it with a segment taken from a brain-dead donor. The surgeons used microsurgery and polyethylene glycol, a substance that helps fuse cell membranes, in what has been described as the world’s first spinal cord transplant.

Ren told the South China Morning Post that the operation was a joint effort involving his team from Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine Second Affiliated Hospital and Russian medical professionals.

The surgery was completed between October 14 and 15 and lasted 12 hours. Ren said the patient’s condition was stable following the procedure.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin also shared an update about the patient on Telegram on October 16. He said the patient, who had initially faced the risk of complete paralysis, had been given a chance to recover and was feeling well.

Ren had previously vowed to perform the world’s first human head transplant.