X-Message-Number: 9624
Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 10:21:16 -0700
From: "Joseph J. Strout" <>
Subject: Jim's proposal

Jim Halperin in message #9618 proposes a radical promotional idea.  As I
understand it, the idea is basically to provide an extra clause on organ
donation cards that gives tissue samples and/or the brain to a cryonics
organization.  This will give people exposure to the notion of cryonics,
and they therefore might work to eventually improve organ-harvesting
procedures such that their brain isn't total mush by the time it reaches
the cryonics org.

I see some problems with this idea:

1. To suggest that a brain received under these conditions may someday be
revived is a *much* greater stretch than the usual cryonics claim.  Neurons
cannot switch to anaerobic metabolism like some other tissues can; they die
rather quickly under ischemia and start to break down shortly after that.
I'm not an expert in this field, but I do know that in microscopy, we
purfuse and fix the brain immediately if we're going to image it; if a rat
is allowed to lie dead but unfixed more than a few minutes, the
ultrastructure is degraded.  Mike and Saul can comment on this more
knowledgably than me.  But my point is that, if the cryobiology community
did not think us looney before, they will surely think so now.

2. Once an organ donor does become interested in cryonics, he will be
advised to tear up his organ donation card.  (As it was with me: I used to
be an organ donor, years ago, but threw it out when I found it was
incompatible with cryonics.)  This is likely to invoke a negative reaction
in many; they will feel they have been mislead from the very beginning.

Also, in your preamble you wrote:

>As I'm sure you know, there is currently a severe shortage of viable
>organs. Thousands of people die every year while awaiting organ
>transplants. Unfortunately, only a minority of those who say they would
>be willing to be listed as organ donors actually get around to signing
>the papers, presumably because they don't expect to die, don't want to
>think about their own deaths, and because it is so easy not to bother.

In Ohio and California at least, there are no papers involved; your
driver's license comes with an organ donation card, which you simply sign
and stick on the back of the license.  Most people I know do it; it is
rather expected, at least among my peers.  So I'm not sure that any
additional incentive or rewards are needed; those who choose not to do it
-- because they're squeamish or signing up for cryonics -- are not going to
change their minds for the prospect of getting their brains removed and
saved in a jar as well (that's how they'll imagine it, anyway).

Secondly, I think the organ shortage you speak of is largely not due to a
lack of donors, but due to storage and transport problems.  Currently, an
organ transplant can only take place when a donor dies suddenly, is found
quickly, and is very close physically to a well-matched recipient.
Effective means of cryopreserving organs would go a long way to reduce or
eliminate the perceived shortage, because they could be banked and
transported to wherever and whenever they are needed.

Now, if the organ cryopreservation protocol involved whole-body perfusion
and cooldown, at least as a first step, then it might be reasonable to also
try to save the brain for more than neuroscience lab classes.  But such a
protocol would be difficult, because as I understand it, every organ has
unique needs for optimum preservation.  Still, maybe it's possible; I'd
look to 21CM for such research, though I'm sure similar work is being done
by cryobiologists the world over.  Everyone recognizes the organ
storage/transport problem.

So I think your proposal, in its current form, is likely to do more harm
than good, and is based on some misconceptions anyway (I trust you know
that I mean no malice by this -- I have the highest respect for you and
your work).  Let me propose two alternative uses of your half-million
dollars:

1. Offer a scientific prize for the first successful cryopreservation of
any major organ for, say, a week.  The concept here is similar to the "X
Prize" in space, and in some ways similar to the Nobel prize in other
disciplines (but with much more defined criteria).  Don't phrase it like a
contest, but rather a recognition award for an important contribution to
human society.  It may spur some young (or not-so-young) cryobiologists to
try their hands at the problem.

2. Set up a research fund, and offer grants to researchers working on organ
cryopreservation.  Something in the neighborhood of $50K - $100K per year
could fund some very interesting projects.  Accept proposals, get some
scientific advisors to help you evaluate them, and award the grant(s) to
the most promising proposal(s).  That might be from 21CM, or it might be
some cryobiologist in Japan -- let it be decided by the merit of the
proposals.

Either of these alternatives would help spur research into organ
preservation, which I think would result in a much greater mitigation of
the organ shortage you mention.  In addition, the successful
cryopreservation of any major organ is a big step forward for cryonics,
since (a) the procedures used may be adaptable to the brain, and (b) it
will force everyone to see that the cryopreservation of a major organ is
possible, and therefore cryonicists may not be so crazy after all.  ;)

Best regards,
-- Joe Strout

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|    Joseph J. Strout           Department of Neuroscience, UCSD   |
|                 http://www.strout.net              |
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