X-Message-Number: 12469
From: 
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 11:10:37 EDT
Subject: 21CM, ABS etc.

Mike Darwin's post today (CryoNet #12464) included the following:
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Ettinger also notes:

">I believe 21CM has a different class of substances it calls ice blockers, 
acting through a different mechanism.

This is correct. This work, begun by Brian Wowk, has continued to progress at 
an astounding pace. In no small part this been due to truly hurculean efforts 
by Eugene Leitl, who I have seen putting in day after, day after day of 14, 
16 and even 20 hours at a stretch working to synthesize novel ice blocking 
molecules: a task in which he has succeeded remarkably!

Thus, the patents which are "posting" now (i.e., becoming web accessible) are 
but the tip of the iceberg, or should I more appropriately say, "the first 
vitreous prearl of a mountain of precious, ice free glass which is yet to 
emerge."

Thomas Donaldson comments:

>I too look forward to wider application of the cryoprotectants and perfusion 
>technology created by 21st Century Medicine. Yes, it may not be immediate; 
the >first thing to do is to try these methods on brains. (There was a time 
lapse between >the first Wright brothers flight and the use of 747's, after 
all).

This has been done, and with stellar results and has already been reported 
on. In fact, ACS has pictures on their website. 

As to cooling, Thomas was apprised of the fact we had achieve cooling rates 
of 10 C/min to -70 C with intact 20+ kilo dogs at the A4M meeting in a 
private brefing held *at least* three years ago, if not longer. 

Furthermore, the financial and technological barriers to the application of 
this technology to an estimated 1/3rd of human cryonics patients NOW, are 
trivial compared, say, to the effort that has gone into the construction of 
CI's latest and largest cryostat or Alcor's ambitious program of training and 
"suspension services" revamping. 

And the ultimate irony is, the storage costs will probably be lower and the 
up-front technology not more than 20% to 30% more costly than that employed 
by Alcor  now (the only high technology player left in the human 
cryopreservation field).

[End of Darwin excerpt]
-------------------
Darwin's last two paragraphs above (together with further comments here 
omitted) seem to constitute a reproach against CI and Alcor for failing to 
make 21CM's advances available to our members. However, not only is a great 
deal of information still unavailable to us, as Darwin himself emphasizes, 
but one of Saul Kent's new companies, Advanced BioSciences (ABS) has been 
formed for the specific purpose of marketing 21CM technologies and 
interfacing with cryonics organizations. The initiative necessarily remains 
with 21CM, ABS et al. 

So the situation remains as I have previously described it:

First, CI will continue, within our constraints, to do our own research and 
to modify our procedures as may seem justified from time to time.

Second, CI will aim over time to make all options available to our members, 
if necessary at a higher cost for more expensive procedures (and perhaps at a 
lower cost for less expensive procedures, e.g. if some combination of 
fixation, drying, and freezing should prove sufficiently effective in 
preserving structure).

Third, we will of course pay careful attention to any proposals from ABS, BT, 
or anyone else with something specific to offer.  

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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