[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
It is time for lunch. These breaks, lunches, and dinners are includes in the conference package and sponsored and funded by organizations or wealthier Alcor members. These sponsors have been mentioned between talks.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
[Recap]
Tanya Jones is the COO of Alcor. She has also participated in over half of the members’ cryopreservations. She talked about “Improving Cryopreservation Technology at Alcor.”
The moment the heart stops and legal death begins, Alcor must act quickly to stabilize the brain and body. This is most effective when they are on standby and near the patient. The logistics for transferring human remains to Arizona are extensive, and so Alcor must pay close attention to every detail.
Research will help improve the cryonics process, at every level from standby to stasis. New automation technology called the Whole-body Perfusion System will speed up the process which has until now been mostly manual, while allowing the gathering of new data, automated reports, and improved knowledge. For example, cryopreservation levels were previously eyeballed by one of the technicians. The Whole-body Perfusion System will now monitor these levels, temperatures, pressure, flow, and cryoprotectant uptake and flag alarms.
Other alarm conditions, like bubbles during cryopreservation, that arise will be flagged by the new system, and reports will be generated to document to process.
Another technology being developed is called “Deep Cooling”, a way to cool the patient down to -100 degrees Celsius.
Besides equipment and tool improvements, procedures for training are also being revisited. Worldwide Alcor membership is currently around 800 people, so new technician regions are being setup to get them to the bedside of patients more quickly and efficiently. Training will be improved by bringing people to Alcor for hands-on experience with cadavers or large animal remains.
[Commentary]
It is always great to hear about new technologies being tested or implemented that will improve efficiency, data gathering and report generation. Even the tables and pods have been improved, including fans, ways of making sure the person will fit, and other additions and changes. Other improvements will include better ice baths with improved insulation, potentially keeping a person at 0 degrees for up to five days; tools for drawing out the blood; cooling via the lungs, smaller and more portable perfusion equipment, and new safety features on tools. The stabilization kits used in the field are being revisited and reduced in size so technicians can get to the patients bedside more easily.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
[Recap]
The next speaker from Alcor was Stephen Van Sickle, Executive Director, discussing the “Research Direction at Alcor.”
There was a time when Alcor did not conduct much research, focusing instead on their services and gaining new members. However, eventually Alcor leaders decided that research could definitely help the institution.
Van Sickle said that research is important because it brings in “key personnel” and provides valuable training to Alcor employees. Alcor chooses questions to research that specifically relate to technology and procedures used so that they can be improved.
In years past, Alcor experimented on dogs. Now they are using a rat model system, because of the complexity, time, labor and expense savings compared to the use of dogs. A laboratory has been built around this research direction. One of the complications has been developing equipment appropriate for the size of a rat, compared to established equipment for humans and other organism.
With this rat model, Alcor will begin developing experiments in cryoprotection, ischemia, and hypothermia. For example, Alcor will try to determine the level of cryoprotectants that is most effective for eventual recovery.
Van Sickle emphasized that research in cryogenics will not likely lead to a sudden breakthrough in cryonics and “incremental progress is what is needed.”
Another line of research important to Alcor is how to minimize fracturing during the vitrification process. Fracturing occurs prior to the vitrification temperature, measured by an acoustic sensor placed on the head to listen for fracturing events in the brain. They hope to look at the stresses involved to try to minimize them with future procedures and tecnologies. One possible technique to be tested is warming up the body very briefly during the cooling down process to relieve stresses before heading back toward colder temperatures.
Technology trends and continued research will allow Alcor to better monitor patients during the cryonics process to gain useful statistics. They will test new tools for monitor cryoprotection, like NIR fiber optic spectroscopy.
[Commentary]
There has been a lot of focus in the first few talks about the important of research to Alcor. Instead of simply providing just a body preservation service, they seek to improve the technology while hoping to prove the theory of cryonics. They are now laying the groundwork for the rat model system.
The Alcor philosophy of “slow and steady” progress sounds like an approach anyone doing research should take. Research can be tedious, long, and arduous, but remains absolutely necessary for progress.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
[Commentary]
Break time! Time to mingle, network, eat snacks, or catchup on liveblogging…
The accommodations are very nice here at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort. About 100 people are in the audience, with water, gum drops, and notepads on the tables. Three livebloggers are sitting here at a table on a side aisle: Simone Syed, President of h+ at the University of Arizona, blogging for the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN); John Schloendorn, LysoSENS researcher, blogging for the Alcor blog, and me.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
[Recap]
Brian Wowk discussed cryobiology, the field of cold tolerance in nature and cryopreservation of biological material. In nature, organism survive freezing temperatures by ice avoidance and ice tolerance, using cellular “antifreeze” or cryoprotectants. By studying these organism, researchers hope to apply their findings to improving cryonics.
The use of cryoprotectants allows cells to exist in stasis indefinitely, with minimal damage. Tissues and organs have been successfully preserved, demonstrating the technology on short time-scales and limited scope.
Researchers have developed synthetic molecules based on antifreeze proteins in some organisms that are improved with ice blockers that prevent ice formation. Wowk works with organs, such as rabbit kidneys, to develop better cryoprotectants. The organ is vitrified. Biochemical reactions can then be measured to determine if they have slowed down significantly to suggest little change over not just hours, but thousands of years.
Wowk then spent some time describing the process of cryonics in humans. Much time is involved, time in which the body can further decay. Every moment is precious to place the body in stasis and stop biochemical reactions.
One question very important to researchers and Alcor members alike is whether or not memory is truly preserved during cryonics. Research to date suggests that the “basic machinery” of memory are in fact preserved, but preservation of the actual memories themselves is not clear. Even though vitrification causes less damage than freezing, there are still problems, including fracturing and possible toxicity of cryoprotectants.
[Commentary]
One of the visuals used by Wowk was an image of solutions and organs with and without cryoprotectants at -125 degrees Celsius. On the left was a typical frozen liquid, opaque and crystalized. On the right was see-through vitrification and a pristine looking organ. Very effective. To the layperson, though, this Alcor focus on the desirability of vitrification versus freezing may come across as technobabble. The use of images is helpful, but what would truly be inspiring would be the demonstration of reanimation of vitrified organs. Some work has gone into this, with warming of tissues to determine the extent of damage.
Like transhumanism and other related topics, more effective marketing of cryonics is required to spread the idea. For members of Alcor, a talk like this is probably effective, but it will not convince the layperson to sign up for Alcor services and cryonics upon their death. For people that have already signed up, what is the point of this type of recap? I think members might actually be more interested in the cutting edge of the technology, and near-term improvements.
Instead of images of procedures used to cryoprotect a new patient, video might be more effective. Sure, not everyone wants to see the gore of operation, but then again, gore speaks louder than dry graphics. Better yet, a vat of vitrified organs on stage, even rabbit organs, might be a powerful demonstration of technology at work.
Theoretically, recovery appears to be possible. However, there are still so many details yet to be researched. I have a new appreciation for Steve Bridges’ insistence that much more research is required to further explore cryonics.
Wowk addressed the ethics of cryonics when resusciation has not yet been proven. I have personally never understood the ethical problems, because upon death there really are not ethical problems. What happens to the body will not, obviously, matter to the person who is dead. If there is little chance of recovery, this is still more of a chance than burial and cremation can offer. Of course, to people who believe in an afterlife, the idea of recovery in the material world may be an affront, though it is unclear why they should care if they do not themselves choose the cryonics option.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
[Recap]
A former Alcor president, Steve Bridges opened up the conference with a question: “Why are we here?” His answer: “Alive = Good. Dead = Bad.”
Over the past 100 years, technology and medicine have improved our ability to revive people who early were considered clinically dead. Although there is no proof that cryonics will work, this and other lines of research and current technology trends suggest recovery after a time of preservation is at least a possibility. To cryopreserve someone is to use cryogenics technology to keep the patient in an unchanging frozen state. Cryonics seeks to add as little damage as possible, while preserving the patient for possible recovery in the future when the appropriate technologies are available.
Instead of freezing the body, Alcor uses vitrification; that is, a glassy “freeze” that prevents the damage ice crystals would cause to cells. Much of Bridges talk was a recap of this technology, membership in the Alcor service, funding, and research.
Alcor is developing their facilities, procedures, and financial backing. Bridges believes that Alcor needs to spend more time and money on research now, to learn more and improve the technology. While Alcor has in the past been distracted by talking about a positive future into which people might wish to be revived, he suggests a return to focus on the present. There are so many unanswered questions left to be answered by laboratory research.
Also of importance are legal issues, ways to make the organization stable financially, offering services to a national membership, whether not the technology is truly preserving memory and the basic essence of a person, how to grow the membership, and how to attract technical and professional employees and researchers.
[Commentary]
Bridges talk served as both a recap of Alcor and cryonics as well as inspiration to the members participating in the conference. He hopes that members will participate in a discussion of these issues, rather than passively listening to presenters. The fact provided were straightforward, with an emphasis on bluntness and the work that needs to be done. I think it is important that Alcor continue to state that this technology is unproven. No promises are being made, and this full disclosure should help to lessen the impact of those who argue that Alcor is a scam and/or a cult. Joining Alcor is a choice, one informed by what we know and what we need to find out.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
When people die, some of them are buried in a plot in a graveyard. Others choose cremation their remains kept in an urn (perhaps after some of their remains are sprinkled in favorite locations around the Earth.) For even fewer, they might donate their body for research, with anything left over arranged as above. For most, these are the only options for dealing with the body upon death.
Yet another option exists, but one with a long history of controversy and debate: cryonics.
The idea is simple. Instead of burying or cremating, the remains of a person who died are frozen. Unlike the other options, however, cryonics is meant to be a temporary solution to a larger problem than just disposing of remains. To members of cryonics services, the technology serves as a vessel into a future, a future in which their bodies will be repaired and then reanimated.
Unlike ideas of an afterlife, cryonics is deeply rooted in materialism. If the essence of an individual is not a supernatural entity, but an emergent pattern from physical processes, then if the material of that person can be conserved and maintained, it should be possible to reawaken that person when the appropriate material.
Frontier Channel is live at the 7th Alcor Conference and will be providing recaps of the speakers’ presentations as they occur.
[Alcor Conference - Table of Contents]
Frontier Channel will be liveblogging this weekend from Scottsdale, AZ, USA for the 7th Alcor Conference. The three day event will bring together experts in cryobiology, life extension research, and nanotechnology to present the latest information about cryonics technology, politics, ethics, and law. Check out Frontier Channel throughout the day Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7 for our coverage.
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