X-Message-Number: 18934 From: "Ben Best" <> Subject: Hippocampal Slice Cryopreservation Project (HSCP) Update Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 02:31:53 -0700 HIPPOCAMPAL SLICE CRYOPRESERVATION PROJECT (HSCP) UPDATE It has been a year since I was soliciting for HSCP donations on CryoNet. Now the project is completed, and we are moving on to getting the very positive results of the project published. Dr. Fahy submitted a paper on HSCP results to NEUROREPORT. Unfortunately, the NEUROREPORT article was rejected for the primary reason that the reviewers did not believe it would be of interest to their readers. The reviewers also indicated that the results (converting an approximately 0% recovery rate with freezing to an approximately 100% recovery rate with vitrification) were not particularly groundbreaking or innovative -- indicating their ignorance of brain cryopreservation (not surprising given their lack of interest). Dr. Fahy's plan is to revise the article and submit it to another neuroscience journal. We feel it is important for neurobiologists, who might be the ultimate users of the preservation techniques described in the paper, to become aware of the work, which is less likely if the paper is published in CRYOBIOLOGY. I have suggested the JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS as a possibility, but the final venue has not yet been decided. Before the project ended, some brain slices were fixed for electron microscopy as well as light microscopy. The light microscopic results are generally excellent, and Dr. Fahy has finally had time to examine the slices in the electron microscope as well. The results show much less damage with vitrification than with freezing, although some injury attributable to cryoprotectant introduction and removal or, in rare cases, a stray ice crystal, can be seen. If additional electron microscopy is needed, it will be possible, since there is still enough money in the INC account to cover this cost. Dr. Fahy hopes to publish another paper on the histology & ultrastructure when EMs and other data have been fully analyzed. I again thank those who generously contributed to INC/HSCP and I look forward to being able to report to you that HSCP results have entered the body of scientific knowledge in a peer-reviewed journal. Ben Best, President The Institute For Neural Cryobiology http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/hscp.html Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=18934