X-Message-Number: 3064 Date: 05 Sep 94 13:19:04 EDT From: yvan Bozzonetti <> Subject: CRYONICS.SCI Going into cells To get access at the inner part of cells is a major problem for many steps of the cryonics technology. The August 13 issue of New Scientist (# 1938) describes on page 16 an experiment where small particles (100nm in diameter) of magnetic materials was covered with dextran, a sugar enabling them to be taken up by cells. A chemical penetrator allowed to bypass the blood-brain boundary and a magnetic resonance detector was able to locate the particles inside neurons at the end of the experiment. The original work was published in Neurosurgery April 1994 issue, p. 777. The potential applications for cryonics could be at the following levels: - High cryoprotectant concentration is hard to pump because of the viscosity and can be toxic. If small droplets could be covered with a low viscosity product taken up by cells, there would be both, less mechanical problems and a lower concentration requirement to get the right amount inside cells. - Glucose and some proteins are good conservators, if a droplet form with low viscosity coating could be exploited, there would be a new realm for cryonics. - Energy under the form of ATP, Ca++ channel blockers, anti-oxydants, chaperones molecular complexes and so one could all exploit the same technology. Making small droplets can be done very readily by sonication with ultrasounds, the technology is simple, cheap and efficient. It would be very useful if some researchers could look at these potentialities and some others. I would be happy to learn about a low viscosity sugar or sugar containing molecule. A neutral, low viscosity molecule mixing with sugar could do the job, at least this possibility would be teste. Are there any suggestion in this way? Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3064