2007 ANnual Review · n this issue ofCryonics magazine, an accounting of the Alcor Foundation’s standing and present-day operational challenges and achievements is offered in our

1st Quarter 2008 • Volume 29:12007 RECAP

Member Profile: Wes Du Charmepage 3

7th Alcor Conference Recap page 13

Cryonics and Religion: Friends or Foes?

page 19

2007 ANnualReviewpage 5

1www.alcor.org Cryonics/First Quarter 2008

2 From the Editor

19 Cryonics and Religion:Friends or Foes?The cryonics communityrecognizes the importanceand challenge of beingunderstood by the generalpublic. Religion plays a sub-stantial role in our diversesociety and may seem tosome to be at odds withmany facets of scientificadvancement. Meet onetheologian who feels theultimate success of cryonicsis contingent upon the sup-port of more than just greatscientific minds.

22 Book Review: EndingAging Likened to a gooddetective novel, Ending Agingallures the reader into a real-life tale of the mysteries ofaging. The author, Dr.Aubrey de Grey, has beenthe center of controversysince proposing a systematicpath for scientifically revers-ing aging. Some dismiss hisideas as simply flawed. Butis a “first design” expectedto be perfect?

23 Tech NewsWhat do 100 billion neuronsand memory have in com-mon? Could calorie-restric-tion practitioners soon getthe same life extension ben-efit from a pill? Is there amiracle gene that preventscancer and slows aging?Find out in this issue of TechNews.

INSIDECRYONICS

3 Member Profile: Wes Du CharmeWes Du Charme – psychologist, author and barber shop quartetsinger – celebrates his thirteenth year as an Alcor member inJune 2008. An active retiree, his interests are varied as hestrives to live a happy, healthy lifestyle. Find out if you haveanything in common.

13 7th Alcor Conference RecapMiss the 7th AlcorConference held inOctober 2007? One ofthe attendees, RichardLeis, Jr., shares his candidcommentary on a host ofrousing presentations,including a former Alcor president, a world-renowned stem cellresearcher, a life extension expert and many others.

1st Quarter 2008 • Volume 29:1

2007 RECAP

Member Profile: Wes Du Charmepage 3

7th Alcor Conference Recap page 13

Cryonics and Religion:

Friends or Foes?page 19

2007 ANnual

Reviewpage 5

2007 Annual Review: Today, over850 people in the world rely on theAlcor Life Extension Foundation forcryopreservation services. Enrich yourunderstanding of present-day clinicaladvancements with the potential tosignificantly benefit Alcor’s growingmembership base in years to come.

CCOOVVEERR SSTTOORRYY:: PPAAGGEE 55

1ST QUARTER 2008 • VOLUME 29:1

Cover shows opening receptionat the 7th Alcor conference.Photo by Brian Harris.

EditorJennifer Chapman

Art DirectorJill Grasse

Contributing WritersJennifer Chapman

Chana de WolfRichard Leis, Jr.

Calvin Mercer, Ph.D.R. Michael Perry, Ph.D.

Contributing PhotographersBrian HarrisTanya Jones

________________________________

Copyright 2008 by Alcor Life Extension Foundation

All rights reserved.Reproduction, in whole or part, without

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2 Cryonics/First Quarter 2008 www.alcor.org

FROM THE EDITOR

In this issue of Cryonics magazine, an accounting ofthe Alcor Foundation’s standing and present-day

operational challenges and achievements is offered inour 2007 Annual Review. The past year’s efforts havebeen concentrated upon transitioning Alcor into anorganization capable of a higher quality of clinicalcare for a growing membership. This can be a diffi-cult balance when coupled with maintaining the day-in and day-out needs of the organization, and ourwork is far from over. The comprehensive annualreport (pg. 5) explains how our members stand tobenefit from the master vision driving Alcor’s presentactivities, with our heavy emphasis on expediting theapplication of cold to our patients. The Alcor man-agement team invites you to carefully read the reportand submit thoughtful comments.

Alongside the annual review is a recap of the 7thAlcor conference (pg. 13) as written by one of the 130attendees. He is now a proud member of the AlcorFoundation, but he sat amongst the nearly 50 percentof “potential members” in the audience last October.I hope you enjoy his candid commentary.

The conference delved into some challengingtopics. Among them was a talk titled “Cryonics andReligion: Friends or Foes?” (pg. 19), which reflectedon opening the channels of communication for thebetterment of all. Another important channel ofcommunication exists between Alcor leaders and theorganization’s members. To that end, a panel ofboard members addressed questions from the audi-ence during the conference. I invite you to watch theexchange by ordering your copy of the 7th Alcor con-ference DVD set for a special price today (see insidefront cover).

Dr. Ravin Jain is a neu-rologist practicing in the LosAngeles area and also servesas Assistant Clinical Professorof Neurology at the UCLASchool of Medicine. Heattended NorthwesternUniversity, where he graduat-ed Phi Beta Kappa with adouble major in geology andintegrated sciences. Hereceived his M.D. from BaylorCollege of Medicine. He hasbeen a member of Alcorsince 1989 and a member ofthe Alcor Medical AdvisoryBoard since 1999.

Dr. Ravin Jain was welcomed to the Alcor Board

of Directors in November.

Membership data as of April 30, 2008


Wes Du Charme dedicated his early lifeto understanding how people work

together. After obtaining a Ph.D. inExperimental Psychology from the Universityof Michigan in 1969 he entered the field ofindustrial and organizational (I/O) psycholo-gy, which seeks to influence productivity andsatisfaction in the workplace by utilizing psy-chological theories and research methods. Itwas with the logical mindset required of suchan occupation that Wes first read K. EricDrexler’s book, Engines of Creation, in 1990.Though he had heard of cryonics before, hehad never seriously considered it for morethan a few moments. Confronted withDrexler’s evidence for the inevitability ofhuman manipulation of matter at the molec-ular scale, Wes recalls that, “suddenly, cryon-ics made sense.”

And suddenly, Wes was on a mission. Asa researcher and writer who had “always beeninterested in what the future will hold,” Wesembarked on a quest to inform himself andothers of the possibilities for dramaticallyextended lifespan. After extensive investiga-tion into both nanotechnology and cryonics,

and six months devoted to writing, Wes pub-lished a book in 1995 called Becoming Immortal:Nanotechnology, You, and the Demise of Deathabout nanotechnology-driven possibilities forextending life and resuscitating cryonicspatients. Motivated by his desire to live a longlife and see the future and to obtain credibili-ty as the author of a book about cryonics,Wes joined the cryonics experiment as anAlcor member that same year.

I/O psychologists are by definition inter-ested in organizational or group behavior, andWes’s concerns about the future of cryonicsleave no question that he is intensely interest-ed in the underlying psychological issues sur-rounding the subject. He wonders, why dosome see so clearly, and thus feel so passion-ately, the need for cryonics while others soeasily dismiss it? Worse still, why do so fewpeople accept rational arguments in favor ofcryonics? “Obviously,” Wes declares, “wewould all be safer if cryonics were more pop-ular. We are all more at risk because the idea isnot well known and is not well accepted.There are many ways things can go astrayeven in the best of circumstances.”

Member Profile:Wes Du CharmeBy Chana de Wolf

Wes jokingly regards the cold Idaho winters as a cryonics training program.

Wes with his wife, Ida, who is also an Alcor member.


The answer to this problem: member-ship growth. “I think significantly increasingour membership is the key to almost every-thing else. More members would translateinto more dollars, which would allow us todevelop along many fronts including publici-ty, marketing, lobbying, and research. Now, ifI only knew how to increase membership….”

By his own admission, his efforts atrecruiting more Alcor members, even afterhaving written a book on the subject, havebeen less than stellar. “I was already marriedby the time I first learned about cryonics, andmy wife became interested through me.”Unfortunately, other than his wife Ida, noneof his friends or family have become mem-bers, keeping a safe distance in the camp ofthe “generally supportive.” Wes feels thatAlcor should devote more of its energy andresources toward marketing to encouragegrowth because “a larger organization hasmore clout, more resources, and moreoptions for its members.”

Now retired from his job in academia,his leisure activities include reading, keepingup with nanotechnological developments,and playing tennis several times a week. Healso serves on committees in the small townof Rathdrum, Idaho, and is currently presi-dent of “Friends of Rathdrum Mountain,” aconservation group in the area.

Perhaps his most ambitious pastime overthe past three years has been running a web-site designed to help other retirees find inter-esting new leisure activities. The site usesquestionnaire/profile matching to direct cus-tomers to the most appropriate leisure activi-ties from a database of over 1200 activities(decisiontimetools.com). His background inpsychology and interest in cryonics havetaught him that “living a healthy, happy

lifestyle might add significantly more thanjust a few months or years to my lifespan.” Bydoing what he can to extend healthy lifespannow, Wes hopes to take advantage of medicaladvances that will significantly improve thatcapability in the future. Speaking most fond-ly of his favorite hobby, singing in a barber-shop group, Wes chuckles, “We always saythat barbershoppers live, on average, sevenyears longer than the rest of the population.I’m not sure that’s true, but I’ll take every bitof help I can get!” �

Wes can be contacted at: [email protected]

Wes sharing time with his mother and wife.

Wes (second from left) prepares to deliver a singing valentine with his barber shop quartet.

“We always say that barbershoppers live, on average,seven years longer than

the rest of the population.”


At the beginning of 2008, nearly 840 peo-ple were relying on Alcor for cryopreser-

vation. We take this responsibility quite seri-ously. Our current management team, whichhas been at the helm for two and a half years,carefully considered a strategic course forimproving all facets of the operation. Thislong, hard, organization-wide look at the stateof things was necessary because many opera-tional aspects had languished or been ignoredor actively declined in value to our member-ship. From this analysis, the idea of a newAlcor emerged, as did a plan to transition our-selves toward that new state of being.

The Alcor we imagined would providesuperior cryopreservation technology usingnewly designed clinical equipment with moresophisticated capabilities. It would not relysolely on outside organizations to decide whatresearch was useful and when it should beperformed. Instead, it would decide what andwhen to investigate the particular problems incryonics and would perform this research in-house, with the ultimate goal being peer-reviewed publication and validation of ourcryopreservation protocols. Technical devel-opment would focus entirely upon bringingresearch results to our members in the formof improved stabilization and vitrificationcapabilities.

The Alcor we envisioned would increaseour exposure to and interaction with greatcommunity thinkers, become an active partic-ipant in relevant conferences around theworld and once again host a regular confer-ence of its own. Fiscal responsibility,improved member relations, and proactivepublic education would continue to be at theforefront of the organization’s goals.

Today, that Alcor is increasingly becominga reality. In 2007, we actively pursued ourstrategic vision and gained ground on manyfronts, including technical development, mem-bership administration, community outreachand support, and our new research program.

We invite you to read this annual report high-lighting Alcor’s recent progress. We hope youcome away with a greater understanding ofwhy the present direction was chosen and howit benefits you, our members and supporters.

PATIENT CRYOPRESERVATIONSCryopreserving members is the number

two priority in Alcor’s mission statement, justbehind caring for its current patients and justahead of restoring all patients to good health.We ambitiously launched several projects overthe past few years aiming to improve Alcor’scryopreservation services, including the pre-liminary stabilization, the application of ourvitrification protocol, and even the deep cool-ing to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Beforemoving on to the specific changes we aremaking to our capability, let’s review the cry-opreservation procedures performed in 2007.

We preserved two Alcor members thisyear, one long-time member and one last-minute case. We also preserved three compan-ion animals this year. Two cats and one dogjoined our patient population.

The first cryopreservation was a north-ern California member who succumbed tocancer after years of fighting. Our team wason alert – hours after we completed a recon-naissance to assess the situation and its partic-ular needs, the member died suddenly. Theregional team responded quickly, and thepatient’s husband performed exceedingly wellin the difficult circumstance. She received asuccessful vitrification, and we transferred herto the patient care bay in February.

Our second was a last-minute case fromCanada. The Board, in large part, accepted thecase because of the patient’s clear writtendirectives. We became involved in a legal dis-pute over the disposition of this patient’sestate, after an estranged sister stepped for-ward to object to the patient’s wishes whenshe learned of his death in July 2007. We haveretained Canadian counsel to pursue this mat-

ter and will report in greater detail when a res-olution is reached.

Throughout the course of the year, weexperienced 121 activations of our emergencyresponse system. Of these, 108 were not emer-gencies, but instead were hang-ups, dead air,wrong numbers or solicitations. Five calls camefrom members or on behalf of members, withthree of those calls regarding companion ani-mals. Eight calls were generated by non-mem-ber emergencies. Ironically, neither of our twocryopreservations this year was triggered byour emergency response system. In each case,individual staff members were called directly.

IMPROVING STABILIZATIONCAPABILITY

Improving the care provided to patientsin the critical first minutes of a cryopreserva-tion case (known as the “stabilization” phase)was an obvious starting point for Alcor’sefforts. The success of the stabilization phasesets the stage for the overall case outcome andis contingent upon two main essentials:trained individuals and effective equipment.Team members must be trained to carry outthe tasks for which the kits have beendesigned. These tasks include: cardiopul-monary support, airway management, med-ication administration, femoral surgery, andperfusion. Much of the equipment is off-the-shelf medical equipment, but much is of cus-tom design and manufacture.

Redesigning Emergency Response KitsTaking active steps to improve the stabi-

lization capability required taking an extensivelook at the kits we deploy to remote patients’bedsides. The kits have grown over the years,and the inventory had become cumbersomeand difficult to use in an actual emergency. Wedebated the difference between being pre-pared and being over-prepared.

Our regional kits have been irregularlyupdated with new devices that have been

AAnnnnuuaall RReevviieewwBy Tanya Jones


added to Alcor’s local kit and transport vehi-cle; and many supplies are out of date, whichdoes not meet the levels of professionalism oreffective care that we desire. As a result, weredesigned the stabilization kit to meet ourevolving standards. After deciding upon thenecessary kit contents, associated inventorymanagement protocols were developed in2007 to prevent the kits from again becomingunwieldy. These protocols will update expir-ing medications and supplies, ensure changesto the kit contents are distributed correctly toall the regions, and replace kits after use.

In the first quarter of 2008, we will beginconstruction of these new kits. We hired for-mer southern California Regional CoordinatorRegina Pancake to assist with readiness issues,and Regina has already begun re-organizing thefacility spaces where kit construction willoccur. It is our intention to assemble a total offifteen: seven kits for the existing regions, fourfor expansion, two as spares for restoring capa-bility after a case, and two dedicated trainingkits (which will contain additional equipmentlike mannequins, intubation trainers, andmore). Building this many kits at one time willstrain the space we have available, but we areconfident the effort will be worth it. Buildingthis many kits also requires we have sufficientconfidence in and inventory of the customizeditems, like the portable ice bath.

Portable Ice BathOne example of equipment designed and

built internally is the portable ice bath (PIB),and it is our first line of defense in a success-ful stabilization. Cooling is at the forefront of

stabilization priorities, as every ten degreeCelsius drop in temperature cuts the metabol-ic demand of tissue in half. Literally, half thedamage occurs. With the PIB, we can cover apatient in ice, reducing their temperature usingsurface cooling methods. Though it is not themost rapid method of cooling, it is easilydeployable, inexpensive, and still effective.

The portable ice baths we currently havedeployed in the field are ineffective. They areflimsy, difficult to move (requiring a gurney),and do not provide an easy means for ensur-ing a patient remains covered in ice. In 2007,we developed a new design that would resolveall these problems.

Our new PIB was based on the commer-cially-available emergency rescue baskets used toairlift injured hikers off a mountain.Modifications include building an upper rail (toensure a patient can be completely covered inice), adding wheels, constructing a base for ourmechanical chest compression device, and man-ufacturing an insulated liner and cover (see pic-ture).

Though the first prototype had a fewproblems, they were all minor. We are confi-dent the new ice bath has met all of ourdesign specifications; and by the time youread this, we will have begun construction onthe next 14 units.

The level of improvement this new icebath represents is hard to describe, so we canonly show it to you. Our improvementsinclude making it mobile and able to hold notjust the patient and large quantities of ice, butalso adding an IV pole for large-volume med-ication administration and a base for themechanical chest compression device we useto maintain circulation. Our PIB will be ableto go up and down small sets of stairs, over

gravel or grass, and easily over any interior ter-rain. The insulated liner doubles as insulationfor the patient during transport and morethan triples the time a patient in transit willremain at near zero temperatures.

Air-Transportable Perfusion SystemOur air-transportable perfusion system

(ATP) is also in flux. We use this to replacethe blood with a short-term organ preserva-tion solution prior to transporting a patient toAlcor for vitrification. We take this step dur-ing stabilization, because transport times areoften long, and the solution protects the tis-sues in the case of delayed vitrification. (Thesolutions we use are similar to those used byhospitals when transporting an organ fortransplant, though the blood washout is morecomplex because we wash out all the blood,not just an organ or two.) A blood washoutalso provides us with the means to cool apatient rapidly to just above zero Celsius.

With our new stabilization kit, we want tobe able to put two emergency responders onan airplane, armed with everything they needto stabilize a patient. This necessitated lookingat our ATP carefully, in addition to everythingelse, because three shipping containers werededicated to this one task. Furthermore, ourcurrent ATP is difficult to operate, takes sig-nificant time to prepare for use, and requireshighly specialized training. Though ourredesign does not resolve the training require-ment, the new version is intended to be quick-er to set up and easier to use.

The main design change was to eliminatea peristaltic tubing pump and replace it with acustom-engineered centrifugal blood pump.In addition to significant reductions in bothcost and weight, the centrifugal pump offerstwo advantages for patients. The circuit isself-limiting on pressure, which means thepatient cannot be dangerously over-pressur-ized. Large boluses of air are simply not pass-able by the system, which means large airemboli will cause the pump to spin in placewithout moving any fluid. Effectively, this isan emergency shutoff valve, which alerts thesurgical team to the need to clear the circuit ofair before proceeding further.

The main procedural changes are that theperfusion system and the washout solutionwill be completely assembled prior to deploy-ment, so that the only connections that needto be made prior to use are the cooling sourceand the patient. Priming the pump shouldtake less time, due to some of the changeswe’ve made, and we anticipate less than ten

The ice bath used to rapidly cool Alcor’spatients was designed to be

airline-transportable, lightweight, effective and relatively easy to build, as well as

easy to assemble in the field.

Alcor’s emergency response kits will bereduced from several boxes (right) to just a few (left) to optimize their

usefulness in an emergency.


minutes will be required to prepare for a sta-bilization with this system. We are havingsome difficulty finding an appropriate con-troller for the system, which has slowed thisproject. We have tested several alternativesand will be testing more.

Assuming no significant changes occur inthe final stages of this development, we willhave achieved our goal of reducing the num-ber of shipping containers required for theATP, because we will have managed to com-bine the circuit, washout solution and surgicalsupplies into one case, while remaining withinairline weight limits.

Partial Liquid VentilationIn addition to redesigning existing equip-

ment, Alcor undertook the longer-range goalof building new equipment to improve uponpresent practices. That’s where the partial liq-uid ventilation system comes in. Partial liquidventilation involves the introduction of per-fluroucarbon – a cooled, oxygenated liquid –into the lungs, where the massive surface areacan facilitate extremely rapid cooling through-out the body. It is expected to provide nearlythe cooling rate of blood washout at an esti-mated half degree Celsius per minute, withoutinvasive surgery or time delays.

It is critical for this system to work wellwith the chest compressions that are standardin patient stabilizations; and our design stillneeds more work. Progress was made howev-er, when we completed custom fabrication ofa heat exchanger that makes the unit moreefficient than previous prototypes (whichmeans the unit will be more portable thanbefore and less expensive, because less of thecostly perfluroucarbon will be required).Although this system has recently notreceived the rigorous attention it deserves, it isa high priority project. We intend to completethe design phases and test the device in 2008.

Training Regional TeamsAs mentioned briefly above, having the

equipment to stabilize a patient is only oneaspect of the improvements needed. Trainedpersonnel must be on-hand to implement ourprotocol. Once again, we held several stabi-lization training sessions for members aroundthe world, introducing them to (or refreshingtheir memories on) aspects of the protocol,including: cardiopulmonary support, Alcor’smedication protocol, the importance of rapidcooling, and the theory behind our washoutprocedures. Aside from the standard locationsof northern and southern California, Nevada

and Florida, we held classes in New Englandfor the first time in many years and in westernCanada for the very first time.

We have not been happy with the prima-rily theoretical nature of the training sessions.In the last half of the year, we halted trainingas we dug vigorously into our redesign of thestabilization capability. With significantchanges in production, it seemed a poortrade-off for the team members to be trainedin protocols that are in transition, using train-ing methods that are largely ineffective.Several of the regional groups, primarilysouthern California and the United Kingdom,continue to host regular training sessionsindependently. We encourage this practice,even though the protocols will be changing.

It is just about time to restore training. In2008, we will be building a second operatingroom, one that will provide an environmentfor equipment testing and realistic team train-ing. We are replicating the operating room,because training will be more intensive and wedo not wish to compromise our ability to pro-vide member cryopreservations in an emer-gency. Advancing our training programrequires a second set of all surgical tools andsupplies, development of new training lec-tures for parts of the protocol that are impos-sible to teach in a classroom environment (likesurgery or perfusion), and contracting localprofessionals to assist with the teaching.

Funding Improved StabilizationsThus far, the improvements to Alcor’s sta-

bilization procedures have been funded by gen-eral operating income or, in the case of techni-cal development, by the research fund. To aidwith future costs,the Board author-ized the use ofcomprehensivemember standby(CMS) funds forimproving stabi-lization capability.Alcor launchedthe CMS programin 2005 (“stand-by” and “stabiliza-tion” are largelyinterchangeableterms) to ensurethat all eligiblemembers wouldreceive a standbywhen the needarose. Each mem-

ber in the US and Canada contributes to theCMS fund and will receive stabilization carewithout incurring any additional charge at thetime of need.

Given that the CMS funds are needed onan emergency basis to send team membersand stabilization equipment to a remote loca-tion, we are limiting the funding that may bewithdrawn to improve readiness. The Boardestablished a lower boundary based on themaximum projected number of stabilizationsfor an upcoming year and a high average ofstandby and stabilization costs over the pastthree years (the only years for which accuratefinancial information is available). Currently,the CMS fund contains approximately$380,000, which means we have enough toreasonably cover the anticipated cost of stabi-lization and standby for all eligible membersand still fund some of the upgrades we desire.We do not anticipate using CMS funding forregional team training at this time, though itcould be used for that purpose in the future.

IMPROVING VITRIFICATION TECHNOLOGY

Cryoprotective perfusion follows thepatient stabilization and is only performed inour Scottsdale lab. The goal is vitrification,which minimizes the formation of ice duringcooling. It is the step where cryoprotectantsremove water from the body, and when suc-cessful, the overall tissue damage during cryop-reservation is significantly reduced. As cry-oprotectants are introduced, temperature, pres-sure, and cryoprotectant concentration data arecontinuously monitored and controlled.

Since the first operating room was builtfor cryopreservation purposes, perfusion has

Equipment for automation of the perfusion process includes (from left to right): a chiller, a main pump, a mixing reservoir and

pumps for addition and removal of cryoprotectants.


been done manually. Technicians monitoredflow rates and pressures, manually added andremoved fluid from the circuit, adjusted tem-peratures – everything has been subject tohuman error. The system we are buildingtoday will eliminate much of the risk of errorthrough automation of the perfusion process.

Advanced Cryoprotective Perfusion SystemOur advanced cryoprotection system is com-

prised of two basic parts, the patient enclo-sure and the computer-controlled perfusionsystem. The patient enclosure is the morestraightforward of the two parts, though itwas not without engineering challenges of itsown. We designed the enclosure to modelpatient pods used in long-term care, so thatwe can make sure a patient will fit before thecryoprotection even begins.

In our current patient enclosure, nitrogenvapor circulates around the patient to keepthem at a cool -3 degrees C. It is difficult forour surgeons to operate with the vapor flow-ing, so we stop this during surgery and use itonly once the surgery is complete. Our newenclosure makes this delay in external coolingunnecessary. The entire base of the enclosureis a cooling stage, and nitrogen will circulateacross the patient’s body (instead of in thecurrent head-to-toe configuration). Fans willautomatically stop only in the sections wherethe surgeons are operating and automaticallystart up again when the enclosure is closed.We added lights to the inside of the enclo-sure, which will improve visibility both duringthe surgery and during cryoprotection. Awide range of cooling will be possible, fromthe current +3 degrees C of a blood washout,to a -3 degrees C in vitrification, and potential-ly to a post-vitrification temperature of -110degrees C.

We based the computer-controlled perfu-sion systems on our established protocol.Control parameters exist for pressure, tem-perature, and flow. We are also adding a newparameter: fluid balance. Fluid balance will bea strong indication of how well the cryopro-tectant is being taken up by the patient’s tis-sues. It should give us warning of edemabefore it gets out of hand (which happens incases with long transit times) and will be agood indication as to whether target vitrifica-tion goals will be achievable in a case. Thoughthe main system will be automated, there is amanual override for every control aspect inthe system.

Having a computer behind the systemwill result in unprecedented amounts of datacollection. Analysis and direct comparisonsbetween similar cases will become possiblefor the first time in cryonics history. Nolonger will evaluations be guesswork orhypothesis, especially as our cardiopulmonarybypass lab becomes more advanced. An iden-tical cryoprotection protocol will be imple-mented in each case, and any deviations fromprotocol will be automatically recorded.Changes that are made to the protocol will

also be measurable, as we will have clear doc-umentation about what was changed and why,and the data will tell us much about theimpact of any changes (assuming significant,observable changes actually occur).

We also plan to investigate the effective-ness of our new system to cool a patient rapid-ly to just above the glass transition temperature(the temperature at which ice formation beginsand where thermal stresses can cause fractur-ing of the tissue). The cryoprotectant is toxic athigher temperatures, and investigating meth-ods to cool more quickly will be beneficial toour patients. Providing this first-stage coolingin the operating room will reduce the time apatient spends at those higher temperaturesand ensure the patient is at a safer temperaturefor transfer to the patient care bay for second-stage cooling and long-term care.

Our new system will be the most advancedhuman cryopreservation system in the world,with complete integration and control of therelevant cryopreservation parameters, cooling,operator feedback, safety systems, and gracefulfailure modes. We are excited about completingthis system and look forward to its rigoroustesting, because we are confident it will improvethe quality a cryoprotections for all membersfor whom cryoprotection is possible.

COOLING AND PATIENT CAREAfter a patient is cryoprotected, we cool

them to liquid nitrogen temperature over thecourse of days. In 2007, Alcor replicated itscool-down system to backup the present sys-tem, should it fail or should multiple simulta-neous cool-downs be required. We did nottake the time to improve this existing system,as we intend to modify it heavily after thecompletion of our advanced cryoprotectiveperfusion system.

Intermediate Temperature StorageDuring cooling, we listen for the tissue

fracturing events that have been identified asone particular type of cryopreservation dam-age. Preventing this damage is desirable, butwe have not yet found the way to do that. Ifwe could make just a little progress towardthat goal, then it becomes possible to care forpatients at higher temperatures.

We started the year with a successfulmatching grant of $50,000 for research intoalternative storage, something we call inter-mediate temperature storage (ITS) for cryop-reserved patients. An ITS system would allowtissue to be stored at temperatures higher thanliquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C), which could

Now nearing the testing phase, theadvanced cryoprotection perfusion system is

comprised of two basic parts: the patientenclosure (rear) and the computer controls.

This panel shows some of the many connections the computer will automatically

monitor and control during the perfusion process.

The patient enclosure cools the patient during surgery using nitrogen vapor and a

cooling stage for the base.


one day mean elimination of the currentlyinevitable fracturing that occurs.Unfortunately, fracturing events begin tooccur in cryopreservation patients at temper-atures that are significantly higher than thosewhere safe storage can occur. ITS systems, ascurrently conceived, would not solve thatproblem.

Nevertheless, we worked on a prototypesystem for imaging stresses as they occur, inthe hopes of developing an annealing curvefor cooling that would prevent fractures. Theprototype used cross-polarizing lenses to viewthe stresses, because it is both non-invasiveand non-destructive. The device, modifiedseveral times, never quite achieved its goal.After a disappointing sequence of setbacks,the design process returned to square one.Consequently, this project has been on holdfor a while. We do anticipate returning ourattention to this project in 2008 and willreport on it when that time comes.

A final note on ITS, in 2006 we orderedand made a $15,000 down payment on a fully-functional intermediate temperature storagesystem from 21st Century Medicine. The unit,once received, will be tested with the ultimategoal of using it for patient care.

Patient CareOver the years, Alcor has continually

emphasized the importance of protecting thepatients in its care. Alcor’s Board and manage-ment must always proceed with the patients’best interests at heart. Patient care, the moststable aspect of operations, didn't see muchactivity this year. We take that as a good sign.

At the end of 2007, Alcor's dewars held78 patients as they quietly did their job. Threedewars manufactured this year did not passAlcor’s rigorous testing, which revealed thatnitrogen will “boil-off ” or evaporate tooquickly. Furthermore, our very first dewar(BF-1) delivered to Alcor over 15 years agofinally failed after years of use as a bulk nitro-gen storage tank, a use for which it was notintended. We returned BF-1 and one of thenew Bigfoots to the manufacturer for repair.

Testing BF-1 upon its return, we found itboiled off more than 100 liters per day, where9-15 liters is the norm. Troubleshooting theproblem revealed water in the interior of thedewar where it should not have been. Weattached a vacuum pump and a heater to boilout the water in an attempt to repair the prob-lem. An internal temperature of 210 degreesC was achieved, and the water was removedover the course of four months. Vacuum

pressure reduced to 2 microns and held steadyfor more than a month. Once this lengthyprocess was complete, the dewar boiled offless than ten liters per day when half full. Afull dewar boils off slightly faster than a par-tially full one does, but this result makes therefurbished BF-1 one of the more efficientdewars in our patient care bay.

With the addition of our new dewars, itbecame necessary to extend our fill manifoldto accommodate additional dewars. We alsoadded oxygen sensor alarms to the patientcare bay. These alarms activate with any dropin the percentage of oxygen in the air andtrigger both flashing lights and loud noises toalert staff to the increased risk.

EXTENDING OUR RESEARCH PROGRAMA crucial aspect to improving cryopreser-

vation procedures is appropriate research.

Unfortunately, few labs in the world performthe kinds of experiments we need to validateour protocols. We are quite proud of the workdone in 2007 to develop internal research capa-bility, so that we can direct experimental worktowards achieving our specific goals forimproved cryopreservation procedures. Muchof the effort went into developing the infra-structure necessary to support a sustainableresearch program, including building a lab fromthe ground up. This lab contains specializedequipment necessary to replicate the operatingroom environment, such as a surgical table, ananimal enclosure, and a cooling stage.

We selected the rat model for our newlab, because it is small, simple and inexpen-sive. More experiments can be conducted inshorter amounts of time, which would help usmake more progress in less time. A cardiopul-monary bypass model for the rat is a relative-

In 2007, Alcor constructed a cardiopulmonary research lab and established the necessary policies and guidelines under an Institutional Care and Use Committee.

Research equipment in Alcor’s animal lab include a heat exchanger for cooling andrewarming the animal (A), an oxygenator for oxygenating the animal during surgery (B),

and a venous reservoir for holding blood or cryoprotectants (C).

A

B

C


ly new development, which in turn also meansthat publication is eminently possible once themodel is established.

IACUC ActivitiesThroughout the construction of our car-

diopulmonary lab, we set our standards high.Though rat research is not federally regulated,we chose to employ standards similar to thosefor regulated animals. Toward that goal, weestablished an Institutional Care and UseCommittee (IACUC) to oversee ethical andregulatory requirements for the humane treat-ment of animals used in our work, all animalsnot just the ones required by law. The IACUChas members comprising the following roles:a Chairperson, an attending veterinarian, aninstitutional official, an individual with a non-scientific background, and an unaffiliatedmember of the community.

Throughout the year, our IACUC approvedstandard policies, guidelines and program of vet-erinary care dictated by regulatory requirements,and they approved the first research protocol,Recovery Model of Cardiopulmonary Bypass in the Rat.The IACUC created a standard to which allAlcor research will adhere.

Our annual USDA (the federal organiza-tion that oversees animal research) inspectioncame in February, and Alcor was in compli-ance with all federal mandates. We received aspecial verbal note that our aggressiveimprovement, and in particular our writtendocumentation, were commendable.

We completed the construction of carefacilities for both large and small animals, andsurgical training has begun for the research staff.The American Association of AnimalLaboratory Science is providing additional train-ing to all members of the IACUC, the researchstaff, interns, and animal care specialists.

Alcor is presently seeking a researcher whocan pursue its research objectives. The firstobjective will be to firmly establish that the car-diopulmonary bypass system is functioningproperly. The research team will then investi-gate the point at which an animal becomesunrecoverable from the perfusion process andthe rates at which cell structures deteriorateunder normothermic and hypothermic condi-tions. Although the results will not be exactlyapplicable to human cases, they will allowinsight into aspects of our cryopreservationprotocols that deserve closer examination.

SUPPORTING NANOMEDICAL RESEARCHDuring 2007, we continued our grant

support for Robert Freitas, author of

Nanomedicine and the leading researcher in thisfield. Freitas is one of the most prolificauthors and theoreticians in nanotechnologytoday, and the body of work generated withour (and others’) recent financial support hasbeen impressive. His publications presentedthe first technical description of a cell repairnanorobot; analysis of a diamondoidmechanosysthesis tooltip; definitions of com-putational tasks required by nanorobots; anddevelopment of an R&D roadmap for med-ical nanorobots, nanofactories, and diamon-doid mechanosysthesis. Freitas even wrote achapter for Greg Fahy’s book project, current-ly titled “The Future of Aging: Pathways toHuman Life Extension,” which makes thecomplete technical case for nanorobotics-based life extension and anti-aging treatments.

FINANCIAL REVIEWOver the past couple of years, we’ve

worked hard to gain better control of ourfinances. Control processes, improvements tobilling and collections procedures, reductionsin spending and careful management of ourresources by the staff are prov-ing effective techniques forensuring sustainable opera-tions.

Our 2007 budget waseffective in predicting ourcash flow situation. Incomewas estimated well, especiallyon the membership side, with97.3% accuracy for the year.Overall expenses tracked to97.4%. Direct PCT expensestracked well for the year-to-date nitrogen costs, at 96.7%;and some of the anticipatedrepairs proved unnecessary.Office expenses and overheadwere 84% and 91% of 2007estimates respectively. Legalfees were 97.7% of estimates,total professional fees were at97.7%, and research anddevelopment costs were 113%of estimated values.

We had few unanticipat-ed expenses, though we didchoose to renovate our labspaces to make working inthose areas more efficient. Wealso had some unanticipatedlegal expenses associated withthe preservation of patient A-2309, the last-minute case

from Canada, and some additional expensesrelated to the probate proceedings for patientA-1097 whom we cryopreserved in 2006.Unanticipated expenses amounted to about$40,000, which represents less than 3% of theannual income.

In developing the 2008 budget, weassumed no cases will be performed, which isdesigned to represent a probable worst-caseincome scenario for the organization. This isproving to be a useful approach, given that2007 only saw two cryopreservations –including one for which the patient’s estatehas not yet paid because of the legal dispute.We already know this is not the case for 2008,which has already seen four cryopreserva-tions, and our bottom line has not been signif-icantly affected. Our income has generallycovered our expenses in these cases.

Accounting ControlsIn addition to operating with an effectivebudget, we continue to follow the financialcontrols implemented a few years ago toreduce the risk of embezzlement. These con-


trols, implemented as the result of past thefts,are working. However, our management teamrecognizes these controls may be insufficientto provide our members with any real sense ofcomfort. One of the best ways to ensureaccurate and honest financial reporting is tohire accounting firms to prepare annual state-ments (Enron-like scandals notwithstanding).Our relationship with our accounting firmhad been deteriorating for some time, and wewent through nearly all of 2007 withoutreceiving the annual review for 2005. Giventhe inexcusable lateness and excessive cost ofour incomplete reports, we decided it wastime to hire a new accounting firm.

Over the course of about six months,Alcor staff handled the screening of candi-date firms and the interviews of their repre-sentatives. The Board established an AuditCommittee to review competing proposals.Upon the recommendation of the AuditCommittee, the Board of Directors chose inDecember 2007 to hire the firm of MayerHoffman McCann (MHM) to provideaccounting services.

During our discussions with the variousfirms, we emphasized that Alcor intends toupgrade the quality of financial accounting weprovide to our membership and the public.We discussed strategies for raising the bar onour fiscal management until an annual audit iscustomary. We explained our unconventionaltracking of patient care liabilities – the onesthat reflect our moral and fiscal responsibili-ties to the patients in our care. The MHM rep-resentatives had done their homework andhad found a comparable situation withinmore conventional accounting practices thatwill prove helpful.

We have begun by tasking MHM with astandard review of the 2006 financials so thatthey can become accustomed to our book-keeping practices. For 2007, we intend to takethe next step in rigorous reporting, by havingthem prepare a balance sheet audit. That levelof review should allow us to identify and cor-rect any deficiencies in our tracking of assets.Subsequently at the close of 2008, we hope tocommission a full audit.

Easing in the direction of an annualaudit, rather than launching directly into one,will allow all participants to become familiarwith the requirements and will allow us toensure our accounting systems contain thenecessary information and controls that willpermit such rigorous evaluation. It will alsointroduce the staff to the requirements of anaudit as an annual activity. It is no small mat-

ter for our small staff to incorporate this intoour regular duties. Furthermore as aCalifornia corporation, we will someday berequired to have an annual audit under theCalifornia Non-Profit Accountability Act.This requires revenue of more than two mil-lion dollars a year, a threshold which Alcorhas not yet reached; but by preparing inadvance, we will already be in complianceonce we reach that level.

With these changes, we are looking for-ward to promoting greater personal and pro-fessional confidence in Alcor’s financialreporting and accountability in upcomingyears.

BYLAWS REVISEDA long-overdue revision to the corporate

bylaws took place this year. Most of the changeswere administrative in nature, made largely toimprove clarity and do not materially affect oper-ations. Here is a review of the changes:

• The Board removed the requirementfor an amendment to the Bylaws inorder to change the principal officeand changed the office’s address to ourScottsdale location.

• References to “SuspensionMembership” were amended toinclude the current terminology of“Cryopreservation Membership”.

• The day and time of the monthlyBoard meetings was changed fromSunday at 1:00 pm MST to Saturday at11:00 am MST.

• The annual election of Directors con-tinues to be in September, but the elec-tion process description was revised tobe at the sitting Board’s discretion.

• The indemnification clause forDirectors, Officers, employees, andother agents was edited heavily forclarity. It continues to state that per-sons acting on behalf of Alcor areindemnified against expenses actuallyand reasonably incurred in both civiland criminal actions.

• A section was added authorizing thecreation of an Audit Committee.

None of these modifications altered ourprimary mission in any way. They are simply areflection of the amount of time that passedsince we last reviewed our corporate bylaws.If you’d like to see the bylaws for yourself,they are posted on Alcor’s website (see linkson page 12).

MEMBERSHIP AND OUTREACHMembership growth is important to us. It

signifies growing confidence in cryonics andin Alcor as a whole. Our marketing efforts atthis time focus on personal selling, but high-quality media coverage, participation in com-munity conferences and events, and a growingsubscriber base to our magazine have all con-tributed to growth in our membership. While2007 saw less growth than desired, the yearended on an encouraging note, with 22 newapplications. At the end of 2007, our mem-bership figures were:

• 815 members � 838 members (2.8% growth)

• 74 patients � 78 patients (5.4% growth)

• 73 applications submitted in 2007• 129 info packs distributed (on avg.)

each month

Fifteen applicants withdrew from themembership process or were cancelled priorto completion of their arrangements. Twenty-five members cancelled their Alcor arrange-ments as well. This is an improvement com-pared to the 2006 figures of 42 withdrawnapplications and 30 membership cancellations.Alcor approved or reinstated 50 membershipsin 2007, which compares to 60 in 2006.

Toll-free Calls from CanadaMembers in Canada now have access to

Alcor’s toll-free number. Tackling this projectat the request of several Canadian members,we uncovered several problems with our vari-ous communications carriers. Those prob-lems were eventually resolved, and in turn ledto a consolidation of our telecom carriers.Consolidation appears to be saving Alcorthousands of dollars every year in overhead.

Billing SystemWe implemented a new billing system as

well this year, one that initially caused someproblems with member invoicing. At onepoint, many members were switched to anemail-based invoice, and they were not gettingtheir bills for multiple reasons, like incorrectemail addresses and invoices being caught inspam filters. Emailed invoices are now supple-mental to postal mailings.

Membership DirectoryOur membership has grown significantly

since Alcor last published a membershipdirectory. Since many of our members ask for

local contacts periodically, we decided it wasonce again time to compile a list. After con-tacting everyone via email and postal mail, wereceived 335 responses from members statingtheir willingness to be included. The directorywas printed and mailed, and since then wehave received several inquiries about peoplewho were not included or who had missedour attempts to contact them. In order toensure that this remains an accurate means offinding other cryonicists, we intend to releasean updated version each year. This allows usto include anyone we missed on this initialpublication, to add new members, and toupdate any information that has changed.

2007 ConferenceWe once again held a conference in

Scottsdale, and it was well attended by bothmembers and non. Our speaker roster includ-ed Dr. Michael West of Advanced CellTechnology speaking on prospects for regen-erative medicine; Dr. Chris Heward ofKronos Science Laboratory who discussedthe preliminary results of Kronos’s LongevityStudy; Dr. Calvin Mercer of East CarolinaUniversity who addressed aspects of religionand how they might relate to cryonics; and afascinating panel on critical care medicine andcryonics. Additionally, presentations coveredthe current and future state of cryopreserva-tion technologies, which are a must for anyAlcor member wishing to remain informedabout developments.

Even spaced, as it was, between othercommunity events, we had a respectable num-ber of people in the audience. Two attendeeschose to execute their membership paper-work during the weekend, and many morecame to see old friends and to meet new ones.Overall, we consider the conference to havebeen a success and look forward to beginningwork on our next one, which will be held in2009. See the 2007 Conference Recap in thisissue for more details.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTA few years ago, we became entangled in

a legislative matter, whereby a bill was intro-duced in the Arizona House ofRepresentatives to regulate cryonics as a funer-al practice without access to the UniformAnatomical Gift Act (the federal regulationsauthorizing us to accept our patients forresearch). This bill was drafted and discussedlong before Alcor, as the target of the legisla-tion, was even informed of its existence.When we learned of the matter, we hired a

lobbyist and launched a defense that was ulti-mately successful. It was not a pleasant intro-duction to politics. Since then, we’ve main-tained our lobbyist who monitors the goingson at the Legislature, looking closely at anyproposed legislation that might affect ourpatients or our mission.

That policy – of remaining aware of ourpoliticians – was shown to be helpful earlierthis year, when State Senator Carolyn Allenintroduced a bill intended to overhaulArizona’s Revised Uniform Anatomical GiftAct. Hers was not a malicious act, but it hadthe potential to influence Alcor directly. Wereviewed the proposed changes and submit-ted our recommendations for how the word-ing might read in order to protect Alcor’s sta-tus and mission. Alcor’s lobbyist, BarryAarons, had this to say as the bill was beingheard in the Senate Health Committee:

“With Senator Carolyn Allen’s leadership and ather direction, Alcor worked out amended languageto SB1099 (the Arizona Revised UniformAnatomical Gift Act) with Arizona UniformLaws Commissioner Jim Bush that will preservethe authority that Alcor currently has as ananatomical donee. Senator Allen conducted openstakeholder meetings and was the source ofencouragement for a consensus to be reached.”

Stakeholder discussions were useful, andthe bill passed the Senate Health Committeereview process. It passed the Senate voteunanimously (of all voting Senators). Itpassed the House with a vote of 50 for and 10against. The governor signed the changes intolaw on July 2, 2007.

MEDIA EXPOSUREWe continue to tighten access to Alcor by

the media. This was a policy implemented bymanagement about two years ago, with theintent being to improve the quality of mediacoverage of Alcor and its mission. In 2007,we provided fewer interviews to the media,and we believe the policy has resulted in lesssensationalistic and more accurate reporting.

Highlights of media coverage in 2007include (see links):

• Local Channel 12 (NBC affiliate) inter-view that resulted in some of the mostbalanced and thorough coverage ofcryonics to date

• An article in the Arizona BusinessMagazine

• Interviewed for an article in Newsweekmagazine

• Participation in an episode of ModernMarvels, a History channel production,about the use of cold in science, med-icine and manufacturing

Alcor personnel also made presentationsat multiple conferences, including:

• Suspended Animation’s Advances inHuman Cryopreservation

• World Transhumanist Association’s con-ference in Chicago, IL

• Foresight Institute’s Vision Weekend• The Terasem Movement’s First Annual

Colloquium on the Law of TranshumanPersons

• Calorie Restriction Society conference,Singularity Summit, and Dragon-Con hadAlcor literature available to attendees.

CONCLUSIONThis annual report should give you a

good sense of Alcor’s ambitions for 2008.Our present emphasis continues to be uponimproving the tools at our disposal to providequality care to Alcor’s members. Many aspectsof Alcor’s operations continue to needimprovement, and we’re pleased to report ourprogress in 2007 toward more efficientremote response in the field, never-before-seen advancements in the operating room andexciting research that will further our under-standing in years to come. These are but asmall fraction of the areas of growth weintend for the organization, and we look for-ward to sharing more of that vision with youin coming months. �

Please address comments to:[email protected]


LINKSBylaws:

http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/bylaws.html

Comprehensive Member Standby:http://www.alcor.org/BecomeMember/

standby.html

Financial Statements:http://www.alcor.org/Library/

index.html#alcorfoundation

News Media Stories:http://www.alcor.org/press/

newsstories.html

In a graveyard, dirt and sorrow reside withrot hidden by little more than fading flow-

ers, expensive coffins and shallow depths.Death hangs in the air. The graveyard is asolemn place, or at the very most morbidlycurious. Alcor is no graveyard.

On a warm Sunday on October 7, 2007,in Scottsdale, Arizona, Alcor opened its doorsfor an open house, capping off a weekend oftalks during the 7th Alcor Conference.Outside in the parking lot was a buffet: shred-ded meat on rolls, vegetarian lasagna, a saladdripping with dressing, and peach cobbler.Speakers, audience members from the confer-ence, Alcor staff and Alcor members, somewith children, gathered around tables forpleasant discussions, networking, and familytime. This was not a solemn place. Instead, itwas a very happy one, despite the clinicallydead just inside the Alcor facility.

Alcor calls itself a “life extension founda-tion.” Whether or not cryonics works, Alcoroffers something coffins and cremation urnscannot. While those repositories for humanremains are traditional and final, the dewars ofAlcor are shiny and metal, standing tall andcold in the hopefully-labeled Patient Care Bay.They stand as symbols of technology andoptimism for the future. Here death isreduced to a temporary legal and cultural exis-tence if only science and technology continuetheir rapid progress forward to eventualrepair and recovery. For cryonics proponents,where there is such hope, optimism andsteady progress, there is no graveyard.

These perceptions are only a small part ofwhat I gained that weekend in October. Whatfollows is a snapshot of my experience at the7th Alcor Conference, an experience that hassince convinced me to become a proud mem-ber of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation.

Steve BridgeWhy We Are Here and Where We Are Going

A former Alcor president, Steve Bridge,opened up the conference with a straightfor-ward question: Why are we here? His answer:Alive = Good. Dead = Bad.

Over the past 100 years, technology andmedicine have improved our ability to revivepeople who were previously considered clini-cally dead. Although there is no proof thatcryonics will succeed, the cryonics industry,along with other lines of research and tech-

nology trends, suggests recovery after a timein cryopreservation is at least a possibility. Tocryopreserve someone is to use low-tempera-ture technology to keep the patient in anunchanging, frozen state. Cryonics seeks toadd as little damage as possible to the person’sbody while preserving the patient for possiblerecovery in the future when the appropriatetechnologies are available.

Instead of freezing the body, Alcor usesvitrification, that is, a glassy “freeze” thatgreatly reduces the damage ice crystals wouldcause to cells. Much of Bridge’s talk addressedgeneral technology advancements, member-ship in the Alcor program, and funding andresearch topics.

He discussed that Alcor is developing itsfacilities, procedures, and financial backing.Bridge believes that Alcor needs to spend moretime and money on research now, to improvethe technology. While Alcor has in the pastbeen distracted by talking about a positivefuture into which people might wish to berevived, he suggests a return to focus on thepresent. There are so many questions whoseanswers must come through laboratoryresearch.

Also of importance are legal issues; waysto make the organization stable financially;offering services to a national membership;whether or not the technology is truly pre-serving memory and the basic essence of aperson; how to grow the membership; andhow to attract technical and professionalemployees and researchers.


Steve Bridge takes questions with the help of emcee Susan Fonseca-Klein.

7th Alcor Conference RecapBy Richard Leis, Jr.


Commentary: Bridge’s talk served asboth a recap of Alcor’s history and cryonicsoverall, and an inspirational talk to the mem-bers in the audience. He hopes that memberswill participate in a discussion of the issues,rather than passively listening. The facts pro-vided were straightforward, with an emphasison bluntness and the work that needs to bedone. I think it is important that Alcor contin-ue to state that this technology is unproven.No promises are being made, and this full dis-closure should help lessen the impact of thosewho argue that Alcor is a scam and/or a cult.Joining Alcor is a choice, one informed bywhat we know and what we need to find out.

Brian Wowk, Ph.D.Common Questions about Cryobiology and Cryonics

Brian Wowk discussed cryobiology, thefield of cold tolerance in nature and cryop-reservation of biological material. In nature,organisms survive freezing temperatures byice avoidance and ice tolerance, using cellular“antifreeze.” By studying these organisms,researchers hope to apply their findings toimproving cryonics for humans.

The use of cryoprotectants allows cellsto be stored at low temperature indefinitely,with minimal damage. Tissues and organshave been successfully resuscitated from acryopreserved state, demonstrating the tech-nology on short-term time scales and in a lim-ited scope.

Researchers have developed syntheticmolecules based on antifreeze proteins insome organisms that are improved with iceblockers that prevent ice formation. Wowkworks with organs, such as rabbit kidneys, todevelop better cryoprotectants. The organ is

vitrified. Biochemical reactions can then bemonitored to determine if they have sloweddown enough to suggest little change over notjust hours, but thousands of years.

Wowk then spent some time describingthe process of cryonics in humans. Muchtime is involved, time in which the body canfurther decay. Every moment is precious toplace the body in stasis as rapidly as possibleand stop biochemical reactions.

One question very important toresearchers and Alcor members alike iswhether or not memory is truly preserved dur-ing cryopreservation. Research to date suggeststhat the “basic machinery” of memory is infact preserved, but preservation of the actualmemories themselves is not clear. Even thoughvitrification causes less damage than freezing,there are still problems, including tissue frac-turing and toxicity of cryoprotectants.

Commentary: One of the visuals usedby Wowk was an image of solutions andorgans with and without cryoprotectants at -125degrees Celsius. On the left was a typicalfrozen liquid, appearing opaque and crystal-lized. On the right was a see-through vitrifiedliquid and a pristine-looking organ. Veryeffective. To the layperson, though, this focuson the desirability of vitrification versusfreezing may come across as technobabble.The use of images is helpful, but what wouldbe truly inspiring would be vitrified organsthat have been returned to a functioning state.Some work has gone into this, with warmingof tissues to determine the extent of damage.

Like transhumanism and other relatedtopics, cryonics is in need of more effectivemarketing to spread the idea. For members ofAlcor, a talk like this is probably effective, butit will not convince the layperson to sign upfor Alcor services and cryonics upon theirdeath. For people who have already signed up,what is the point of this type of talk? I thinkmembers might actually be more interested inthe cutting edge of the technology and near-term improvements.

Theoretically, recovery appears to be pos-sible. However, there are so many details yet tobe researched. I have a new appreciation forSteve Bridge’s insistence that much moreresearch is required to further explore cryonics.

Wowk addressed the ethics of cryonicswhen revival from a cryopreserved state hasnot yet been proven. I have personally neverunderstood the ethical problems, becausepostmortem there really are none. What hap-pens to the body will not, obviously, matter tothe person who is dead. If there is little

chance of recovery, it is still more than burialand cremation offer.

Stephen Van SickleResearch Directions at Alcor

The next speaker from Alcor wasStephen Van Sickle, Executive Director, dis-cussing the direction of research at Alcor.

There was a long period when Alcor didnot conduct much research of its own, focus-ing instead on services and membershipgrowth. However, eventually Alcor leadersdecided that in-house research could definite-ly help the institution.

Van Sickle said that research is importantbecause it brings in “key personnel” and pro-vides valuable training to Alcor employees.Alcor chooses issues to research that specifi-cally relate to technology and procedures usedso that they can be improved.

In years past, Alcor experimented ondogs. Now they are using a rat model becauseof the reduced complexity, time, labor andexpense. A laboratory has been built aroundthis research direction. One of the complica-tions has been developing equipment appro-priate for the size of a rat, compared to estab-lished equipment for humans.

With the rat model, Alcor will begindeveloping experiments surrounding theeffects of cryoprotection, ischemia, andhypothermia. For example, Alcor will try todetermine the level of cryoprotectants that ismost effective for eventual recovery. VanSickle emphasized that research in cryogenicswill not likely lead to a sudden breakthroughin cryonics and that “incremental progress iswhat is needed.”

Another line of research important toAlcor is how to minimize tissue fracturing

Brian Wowk speaks about the science behind cryonics.

Following his talk, Stephen Van Sickle (far right)enjoyed a conversation with Ralph Merkle

(middle) and others.


during the vitrification process. Fracturing ismeasured by an acoustic sensor placed on thehead to listen for fracturing events in thebrain. With experiments in the laboratory,they hope to look at the stresses involved totry to minimize them with future protocols.One possible technique to be tested is warm-ing up the body very briefly during the cryop-reservation process to relieve stresses, thenresuming the cooldown.

Commentary: There has been a lot offocus in the first few talks about the impor-tance of research at Alcor. Instead of simplyproviding just a body-preservation service,they seek to improve the technology whilehoping to prove the theory of cryonics. Theyare now laying the groundwork for the neces-sary research.

The Alcor philosophy of “slow andsteady” progress sounds like an approach any-one doing research should take. Research canbe tedious, long, and arduous, but it remainsabsolutely necessary for progress.

Tanya JonesImproving Cryopreservation

Technology at AlcorTanya Jones is the COO of Alcor. She has

participated in over half of the members’ cryop-reservations. She talked about her ideas forimproving cryopreservation technology at Alcor.

The moment the heart stops and legaldeath begins, Alcor must act quickly to stabi-lize the brain and body. This is most effectivewhen Alcor is on “standby” and is near thepatient before death. The logistics for trans-ferring human remains to Arizona are exten-sive, so Alcor must pay close attention toevery detail.

Research will help improve the cryonicsprocess at every level, from standby to long-term care. The automated whole-body perfu-

sion system now under development willimprove Alcor’s abilities in the operatingroom. Until now much of the perfusionprocess has been manual. The new system willremove the guesswork during cryoprotectionof a patient by monitoring and controllingchanges to temperature, pressure, flow, andcryoprotectant uptake. The new technologywill allow more data to be gathered withreports automatically generated, thus, advanc-ing the industry’s knowledge base.

Besides equipment improvements, pro-cedures for training Alcor’s worldwide firstresponders are also being revised. With Alcormembership currently around 800 people,new regional support groups are being set upso that more Alcor members have efficientbedside care. Training will be improved bybringing people to Alcor for hands-on experi-ence with cadavers or large animals.

Commentary: It is always great to hearabout new technologies being tested or imple-mented that will improve efficiency, data gath-ering and report generation. Even the tablesand pods have been improved, including fans,ways of making sure the person will fit, andother additions and design modifications.Other improvements include a better ice bathwith improved insulation, potentially keepinga person at 0 degrees for up to five days; toolsfor drawing out the blood; cooling via thelungs; smaller and more portable perfusionequipment; and new safety features. The sta-bilization kits used in the field are beingrevised and reduced in size.

Ralph Merkle, Ph.D.Molecular Nanotechnology and theRepair of Cryopreserved PatientsNanotechnology. Once only an obscure

buzzword among fringe techno-progressives,nanotechnology has emerged both as a multi-

billion dollar industry and acontroversial one that couldlead, according to some, to aprosperous future of plenty or,according to others, thedestruction of Earth. The wordhas become increasingly tied tomodern, market-available struc-tures measured in nanometersand included in goods to pro-vide properties not possiblewith larger-scale materials.

Originally, however, nan-otechnology referred tosomething now called molec-ular manufacturing. These are

nano-sized devices that can, among othercapabilities, manipulate individual atoms andperform computation. This technology is animportant area of inquiry for those interest-ed in cryonics because it could be the verytechnology used to restore cryopreservedindividuals to a healthy state.

Ralph Merkle is a noted expert in thefield of nanotechnology. His definition ofnanotechnology includes the arrangementof atoms in “most of the ways permitted byphysical law,” getting them in the right place,and decreasing manufacturing costs to notmuch more than the cost of the associatedraw materials and energy. Important to cry-onics is the ability to position atoms whereneeded, in hopes of repairing damage andrebuilding healthy bodies.

Diamond is a suggested material forbuilding the required tools. By making useof just a select few elements such as hydro-gen, carbon, and germanium, nearly limit-less types of structures could theoreticallybe created. To support this idea, Merkle andRobert A. Freitas Jr. have been exploringminimal toolsets using simulation software.The nine tools they propose involve mole-cules that can perform particular functions.For example, a hydrogen donation toolcould deposit hydrogen atoms where neces-sary. Merkle recommends exploring hisproposed reactions using more detailedsimulations and experiments. The resultsshould lead to more specific proposals foractually beginning to build tools and nano-structures.

Eventually, molecular manufacturing isexpected to lead to robotic arms, 8-bit com-puters, and other parts for devices smallerthan, say, the mitochondrion of a humancell. Merkle estimates that a sugar-cube-sizedcomputer created by molecular manufactur-ing advances would have more computingpower than all that exists in the world today,“almost a billion Pentiums in parallel.”

This radical reduction in size andincrease in ability would lead to nanomedi-cine and the ability to revive cryopreservedpatients, by repairing at the sub-cellularscale. However, appropriate funding isneeded to conduct the necessary experi-ments. Since molecular manufacturing is acapability that will take several decades todevelop, long-term-thinking investors arenecessary.

Commentary: Fantastic speaker. It ishelpful to create a blueprint by which otherscan design their own experiments.

Tanya Jones, along with all Alcor staff members, was warmly welcomed at the opening reception.


Michael West, Ph.D.Immortal Cells: The Prospect of

Regenerative MedicineAnother approach to recovery of cryon-

ics patients, or treatment of people who arestill living, is regenerative medicine, that is, theability to use stem cells to rebuild tissues.

The biology of aging remains a mystery,and West provided a history of thoughts onaging, including a reference to AugustWeismann who in 1891 predicted that celldivision in somatic cells is finite. His research,however, was ignored. Researchers have sincedetermined that the finiteness, now known asthe Hayflick limit, is caused by a “clock”which “ticks” by the progressive shorteningof telomeres on the tips of the chromosomesof DNA as a consequence of multiple celldivisions. The germline cells, on the otherhand, maintain their telomere length by a sub-stance they produce known as telomerase.West and his research team tried to take thetelomerase in germline cells and apply it tosomatic cells so they too would maintain theirtelomere length and thus escape the Hayflicklimit. According to West “it worked!”

A much-sought reservoir of “immortalcells” turned out to be human embryonicstem cells. These cells, even in the laboratory,will differentiate into a wide range of tissues.According to West, nuclear transfer does resetthe “aging clock,” despite the common beliefthat research had showed it was not so, aswith Dolly the cloned sheep who is common-ly believed to have been “born old.”

Where is the field of stem cell researchcurrently at? West and his company are work-ing on technology to sort stem cell precursorsfor various mature tissues.

Commentary: Recent research into theenvironment of stem cells, as opposed tostem cells themselves, suggested you cannotsimply inject stem cells into the body, espe-cially an older body, and hope they regenerateand rebuild the necessary tissues. Particularfactors in the environment of these stem cellsappear to be important for allowing or induc-ing the cells to do what they need to do,according to researchers like Irina Conboy.West said that there are definitely unansweredquestions, but so many promising avenues ofresearch indicate that something good willcome from all this.

Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D.Is it Politically Safe for a Biologist to

Support Cryonics Publicly?Does Aubrey de Grey really need an

introduction at this point? His public propos-al for repairing and reversing the damage ofaging, SENS, and his public admission ofbeing an Alcor member were the topics heenthusiastically discussed.

According to de Grey, it is an importantdecision for a scientist to admit to supportingcryonics. A public acknowledgment of sup-port can affect one’s professional work. Oneof the dangers of admitting support is that itmay be harder to obtain funding for one’swork.

De Grey expressed his thoughts abouthow a scientist who publicly supports cryon-ics could educate the public. As other speak-ers have emphasized, legal death is only a con-venience and the definition of death needsconstant review as technologies advance.Some people who were legally dead have infact been revived, and the public should beeducated on that topic. Brain death is itself acomplicated concept. Not only can a personbe legally dead, they can be legally alive butfunctionally brain dead, for example throughdementia. So there are a lot of considerationsto communicate during outreach.

Cryonics supporters can also provideethical leadership. They can demystify deathand cryonics, promote cryonics as a life-sav-ing attempt, and provide facts for a useful eth-ical debate. Some people find cryonics“yucky” but a straightforward approach byscientists, rather than using anger or ridicule,could be especially effective in demystifyingthe perception of cryonics.

De Grey may be one of those lucky fewwho do not have to worry about the dangersof supporting cryonics and believes he madethe right decision to go public about his sup-

port of cryonics. He hopes to work with theother lucky few until there is a tipping pointtoward broader acceptance of cryonics.

Commentary: Leaders are important toany movement, and technologies themselvescan be movements when tied to ideas like rad-ical life extension. Cryonics support can bepositively affected by people standing up andadmitting they support the idea. But what willbe sacrificed by standing up and standingbehind such ideas? And how does one in thepublic eye appropriately talk about cryonics?These are important questions, and I think areview of how other movements address theirown topics may be helpful.

Alcor Board of Directors PanelStephen Van Sickle; Ralph Merkle, Ph.D.;

Michael R. Seidl, Ph.D., J.D.; and Brian Wowk,Ph.D. of the Alcor Board of Directorsanswered questions from the audience for thelast session of the day.

Questions were asked about the currentstate of Alcor’s finances. Alcor receivesequal parts of its income from membershipdues, bequests, and donations or grants. Atthe current number of members (approxi-mately 800) Alcor cannot pursue all itsdesired endeavors. Employees must wearmany hats to cover all the administrative andtechnical tasks required. Better fundraisingwas a popular suggestion by Board memberswhen asked how the organization couldimprove.

“Alcor will always muddle through,” saidVan Sickle, stressing that this was both astrength and a weakness.

The cost of caring for Alcor’s patients isexpected to remain stable over the next few

Michael West makes an enthusiastic point during his talk about stem cells

and regenerative medicine.

Aubrey de Grey makes some notes during the conference.


decades, but operations costs are generallyless stable. With more members, Alcor couldbenefit from economies of scale, but exactlyhow does Alcor gain new membership? RudiHoffman, a certified estate planner who helpspeople secure life insurance for membershipwith Alcor, suggested growing the member-ship through networking. An online mapwould make it easy for Alcor members andpotential members to connect.

In response to a member question sub-mitted to the emcee, Susan Fonseca-Klein,Alcor does not intend to open up voting tothe membership for its board of directors.

Finally, Van Sickle briefly discussed awealth preservation trust that would betterprotect a member’s estate after death. Alcor’slawyers are trying to develop this type ofarrangement, but it may take many years toimplement.

Commentary: A minor few memberswere relatively emotional about the statementregarding membership voting for directors.Otherwise, it appears (from a show of hands)that most members are happy with the boardand how the board continues to choose itsown members.

Cryonics and Critical Care Medicine PanelThis panel included Alcor’s Tanya Jones,

critical care physician David Crippen, andbioethicist Leslie Whetstine, and was moder-ated by Aschwin de Wolf. The panelistsfocused heavily on the various definitions ofdeath, including legal and biological. A diag-nosis of brain death is required for organ pro-curement, an industry with similarities to cry-onics. However, determining death is diffi-cult. Death is a continuum and it is hard todetermine exactly when “information theo-

retic” death occurs. These dif-ficulties and complexitiesrequire skilled negotiationbetween Alcor personnel andthe treating hospital.

Alcor prefers pronounce-ment based on cardiac deathversus pronouncement basedon brain death. Whetstineargued, however, that cardiacdeath is problematic becausethe heart may be dead whenthe brain is not. Eventually,Jones envisions a time whenthe first steps of cryopreserva-tion will have transitioned froman after-death procedure to amedical procedure requiringtrained medical personnel.

Commentary: The inclusion of abioethicist in the panel added some drama tothe proceedings. Whetstine appeared to bearguing (and this is a vast oversimplification ofher argument) that it is okay to declare some-one dead if their heart stopped, but it is wrongif you then want to cryopreserve the patient.

So when is a patient dead? When is it okayto cryopreserve a person? Right now, Alcormust work within a legal and cultural frame-work that does not view cryonics as feasibleand where the definition of death is changing.Jones believes Alcor will need to go on theoffensive, instead of waiting to be attacked.Whetstine was argumentative, but I found herarguments unclear. She obviously finds cryon-ics problematic, but she kept repeating things

like “but then they are not really dead” and“that is not death.” She believes the definitionof death needs to be changed.

Some Alcor members were concernedabout how their own personal wishes wouldaffect decisions made upon their death.Crippen felt that physicians generally honortheir patients’ wishes, but Whetstine feltpatients’ consent should not be part of a dec-laration of death. Crippen said Alcor mem-bers need to get over thinking of patient con-sent as something that trumps legal and cul-tural issues.

Both Jones and Crippen believe that theframework will need to change for cryonics tobe more acceptable. Alcor, said Jones, must beopen about their program to ensure a morepositive future for Alcor.

Steve Harris, M.D.Rapid Hypothermia Induction Methods

and Brain Oxygen Requirements inResuscitation and Cryonics

Steven Harris is a researcher developingrapid body cooling technologies important toboth cryonics and emerging medical care treat-ments. Hypothermia induced by lowering thebody temperature by 4 degrees Celsius in fiveminutes could allow sufficient time for medicalcare workers to treat a patient, say, after a stabwound or other life-threatening injury.

The potential usefulness of post-resusci-tation hypothermia was discovered by acci-dent in 1980 in work with dogs. Brain damagecould be prevented and the animal resuscitat-ed after clinical death. The first human clini-

The Alcor Board of Directors panel addressed some challenging questions from the audience.

Tanya Jones, David Crippen, M.D., and Leslie Whetstine, Ph.D. (left to right) had a lively discussion broaching issues of cryonics and critical care medicine.


cal trials failed because it took too long tostart cooling the patient’s body. Two other tri-als have been positive, including resuscitationof cardiac arrest patients.

Harris is working on a technology to rap-idly cool the body using cold perfluorocarbonliquid lung lavage. Harris has been able tolower the temperature 5.3 degrees in 5 min-utes in a dog. The next day, the dog was upand active again.

Commentary: This is an incrediblyexciting technology, but Harris seemed to bevery pessimistic about popularizing it.According to Harris, because of short-lifepatents and socialism, new resuscitation tech-nologies are difficult to develop and spread.There were a lot of technical details in thetalk, and the speaker had to skip over many ofthem when time ran out. He ended with avideo of a dog that appeared to be fine 24hours after use of the technology.

Calvin Mercer, Ph.D.Cryonics and Religion: Friends or Foes?

Cryonics, Mercer believes, will requiresupport from more than just scientists,including religious people. How the discus-sion will play out among the groups, accord-ing to Mercer, will include debates betweenliberal and conservative viewpoints, anthro-pocentric versus theocentric beliefs, material-ism versus the supernatural, pragmatic versusdogmatic outlooks, and revisionists versus tra-ditionalists. Mercer believes some willembrace radical life extension and others willbe torn between their beliefs and their desireto get “being a good Christian right” to avoidgoing to Hell.

Mercer seeks to generate discussionabout radical life extension among liberal reli-gious people and someday among conserva-tive religious people, starting with academics.He provided two examples of success, includ-ing sessions held at a religious conference anda book he’s writing.

Commentary: Some religious unbeliev-ers may feel a discussion of “cryonics andreligion” is out of place, like “cryonics andunicorns.” However, I do understand that themajority of people are religious or spiritual.Mercer presented this talk as an academic,rather than a theologian.

Christine PetersonLife Extension: Good News, Bad News, Surprising News

Christine Peterson spends about halftime studying life extension as an enthusiast.

She began by stating that ter-minology matters. Whichterms are best: life extension,health extension, anti-aging,longevity, immortality, orpermanent health?

Since we are made ofmeat, we enjoy the pleasuresof life, but we end up agingand dying. Life extensionenthusiasts want a means toextend life, but nothing likethat exists now. The chal-lenges are several. Medicaldoctors, researchers, and theFDA are not highly interest-ed in life extension. In addi-tion there are the basic diffi-culties of understanding thebiology of aging and carryingout research and develop-ment of ways to extend healthy lifespan.

Peterson provided a list of things thatwill help buy some time until radical lifeextension technologies are available:

• stress reduction • physical risk reduction • mood improvement • sleep, in a very dark room• sex • laughter • biomarker testing • calorie restriction • reducing “inflammaging”• supplements • movement • uploading • biostasis (cryonics)

Commentary: Peterson noted that it isimportant to get life insurance for cryonics,even if a person does not plan to sign up forcryonics until later. Death or illness can beunexpected, and cryonics remains a last optionif other life extension efforts do not work out.

Chris Heward, Ph.D.The Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study:

The Measurement of Human AgingChris Heward described his work on the

Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study (KLAS) asa measurement of human aging. KronosScience Laboratory is a research institution inPhoenix, Arizona.

Heward showed a graph of life expectan-cy at birth versus at age 65. While lifeexpectancy at birth has shown significantimprovement, life expectancy at age 65 has

not. Humans peak around age 20 followed bya downhill degeneration to death.

Once measures affecting life expectancycan be developed, potential interventions canbe tested against these biomarkers for effec-tiveness. At Kronos, data from a variety oftests is collected in a database. For mostKronos participants, this includes one or twodata collection events, although longitudinalstudies require repeat testing over many years.

One of the best known biochemical bio-markers Kronos has found for aging isDHEA-SO4. The lower the level, the olderthe person. When comparing a variety ofbiomarkers, little correlation is discerniblesuggesting aging is not just one underlyingproblem, but multiple.

Kronos’ approach to aging is to assessand prevent age-related health problems far inadvance of their normal occurrence. TheKronos team focuses on the top killers, likecardiovascular disease, and look for oxidativestress, with the goal of devising a plan forprevention. They have conducted studiesrelated to Alzheimer’s Disease and seek tocorrect misinformation about hormonalreplacement therapy.

Commentary: In addition to the detailsof the Kronos studies, Heward providednutrition and health advice. He suggestedbeing fit but not too lean. Exercise is impor-tant, but there appears to be a cutoff aroundage 80, after which exercise has little furtherbenefit. He also suggested fish oil, especiallyfor Americans, as an important supplementfor decreasing cardiovascular risk. �

Photos credit: Brian Harris

Chana de Wolf gives a tour of Alcor's emergency response capability.


Irecently presented a talk at the 7th AlcorConference to an intelligent and receptive

audience. A session on religion may seem out ofplace at an Alcor conference that is largely scien-tific, with presentations on “rapid hypothermiainduction methods” and the like. And in aca-demic conferences, I usually follow someonewho has just discussed “Greco-Roman ReligiousConcepts in Rabbinic Law,” “Tantric Readingsof Court Poetry,” or something like that. Thoseare actual titles from the program book of arecent conference of religion scholars.

The cryonics movement recognizes, per-haps increasingly so, the importance and chal-lenge of being understood by the general pub-lic. The culture into which the conversationabout cryonics is being spoken is a diverse cul-ture where religion plays an important role.Alcor and the larger life extension movementare wise to pay attention to the mindset and lan-guage of this culture. If only the scientists inthe world give cryonics favor and support, thencryonics is not going to fare very well.Thinking about these kinds of questions isimportant for membership recruitment, forfavor at the state house, and for funding.

My task is to reflect on the question ofcryonics and religion in a way that may help youcommunicate life extension and cryonicsbeyond those who are already convinced of itsworth and help you think about how religiouspeople might interpret life extension science. Isee cryonics as part of the larger life extensionmovement, and so many of my comments will

be applicable to life extension science in gener-al. I focus my remarks on Christianity, becausethat is predominant in the culture where the sci-ence is unfolding.

Challenges await those in the life extensioncommunity who want to gain a hearing from reli-gious people. However, the challenges are worthconfronting. Religious symbols and attendantideas are powerful and go to the heart of howpeople of faith have constructed themselves asan identity. Symbols are like a lever, you movethem and you move the minds and hearts of mil-lions of people in our culture. There will be—already is—resistance, but the payoff fromthoughtful, respectful engagement can be signif-icant, I say, for both science and religion.

The relationship between science and reli-gion is one scholarly context of my remarks. Ineed not say too much about this, but I want youto know that the discussion of science and reli-gion in the academy is a vigorous and growingfield of inquiry. That is one context, at the aca-demic level, in which the discussion about lifeextension will take place.

The relationship between religion and sci-ence can range from conflict to integration,with dialogue a moderate way forward.Christianity’s conservative elements have oftenresisted new insights and information from thescientific world. Well-known examples of con-flict are Galileo and, in modern times, theScopes trial, a fight about evolution that contin-ues under the guise of intelligent design. Morerecently, there is the opposition from the reli-

gious right to stem cell research. So history sug-gests that opposition will arise.

Religion needs to be nimble. What I meanby that is taking old—”eternal” if you will—principles and applying them to new and chang-ing circumstances. That keeps religion vital andrelevant, without losing those aspects of religionthat can contribute to society. However, we cango further and say that religion is nimble. It doeschange. It does evolve to take account of devel-oping human culture. Clearly, all religions haveevolved over time—Buddhism came out ofHinduism, Christianity came out of Judaism, andProtestantism came out of Roman Catholicism.

Contra some authors (e.g., Bill McKibben,Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age; NewYork: Owl Books, 2003), I think the develop-ment of life extension technologies isinevitable. I contend that it is to their benefitfor thoughtful religious people to have a seri-ous conversation about this science, in order toevolve religion in a way that preserves religion’score principles and applies them in a helpfulway to the developing science.

I agree with James Hughes, from theInstitute for Ethics and Emerging Technology,in a recent Metanexus Institute Global Spiral arti-cle (“The Compatibility of Religious andTranshumanist Views of Metaphysics, Suffering,Virtue and Transcendence in an EnhancedFuture”), that bioconservative and transhuman-ist wings are going to show up in all the world’sreligions. To extend his remark, I think it isgoing to be messy. We will see some strange

Cryonics and Religion:Friends or Foes?

By Calvin Mercer, Ph.D.


bedfellows, at least in Christianity. In the conser-vative wing we will have both bioconservativeand longevity enthusiasts, and in the liberal wingwe will get both camps as well.

How this will play out is only an educatedguess at this point. We need social science dataon attitudes toward cryonics across religiousgroupings. Until we have that, we must speculateabout how the discussion might unfold.Consider Christianity. It is a vast religion, with arange of theological positions. More accurately,adherents of the Christian religion show up on acontinuum with fundamentalism on the rightand liberalism on the left.

LIBERAL RELIGIONOn the left, liberals tend to be anthro-

pocentric, that is, optimistic about human capa-bility, believing that God, however they under-stand that term—and they understand it in awide variety of ways—works through the natu-ral world. Liberals are thisworldly, more occu-pied with present problems like human suffer-ing. They are pragmatic, interested in whatworks, in what solves human problems andmeets human needs. Liberals are revisionist;they see the necessity for revising and updatingtraditional notions in light of changing circum-stances—what I am calling theologically nimble.(I have adapted these broad descriptions fromGeorge C. Bedell, Leo Sandon, Jr., and CharlesT. Wellborn, Religion in America; New York:Macmillan, 1975; pp. 207-209) Clearly, someonewith this profile is predisposed, as far as religiongoes, to accept the scientific advancementoffered by life extension technology.

For the good news on the liberal side, hereare a couple of examples in which I aminvolved. The American Academy of Religion(AAR) is the world’s largest society of academ-ics who teach or research topics related to reli-gion. The recent annual meeting, held jointlywith another religion society, brought nearly10,000 scholars together. The scholars in thisgroup who are Christians are most likely to beof a moderate to liberal theological persuasion.Liberal Christianity is friendly to science, opento its contributions. Liberal Christian scholarsthemselves use critical methods in their schol-arship. Through their networks, teaching, andwritings these academics wield influence on thegeneral public.

At the 2006 annual meeting of the AAR,I organized a panel of scholars from variousreligions to address the implications of signif-icant life extension on the religion theyresearch. Aubrey de Grey gave a presentationof the science for the panel. To have this

topic on the national meeting program was animportant step in generating conversation inthis academic context. I was pleased whenthe AAR approved another session for ourNovember 2007 meeting. This year wefocused our panel on eschatology—how reli-gions envision the future and how variouseschatological scenarios relate to emergingtechnology’s vision of life extension. Dr. deGrey was again our science panelist. I amoptimistic that life extension will increasinglybe discussed in this important and influentialgroup of academics.

Recently, a colleague of mine and Iobtained a contract from a major publisher,Palgrave Macmillan, to co-edit a book of originalarticles written by scholars of various religionsabout the implications of life extension technol-ogy. Dr. de Grey is writing the chapter that intro-duces the science. This will be the first suchbook of its kind, and I intend for this publicationto serve as a vehicle for initiating a wider conver-sation in the major religions.

That is some of the good news, althoughwe are still very far away from where we need tobe with this conversation.

One of the toughest challenges in gainingacceptance for life extension programs fromliberal people of faith is confronting skepticismabout universal access. Liberals are concernedthat life extension technology is going to be aprivilege of the wealthy, politically powerfulclass. Liberal, progressive Christianity, from itsroots in the ancient Hebrew prophetic move-ment to the modern liberation theologies ofLatin American, black, and feminist origins, hasa history of struggling for the poor and disen-franchised. The degree to which academic andliberal religionists support life extension andcryonics will depend largely on how successfultheir questions about justice are addressed.

CONSERVATIVE RELIGIONOn the right side of the continuum, we

have conservatives, and there are different types.Fundamentalists are more to the right than evan-gelicals. It has been said that a fundamentalist isan evangelical who is mad about something, asaying that highlights the degrees of conser-vatism and the different levels of activism onpublic issues.

Religious conservatives are theocentric andhave a low view of human beings as being sin-ful and weak. Conservatives are otherworldly,that is, emphasizing the reality and importanceof the realm above and beyond the natural,such as heaven and hell. Generally opposed tochange, conservatives value religious under-

standing handed down from previous genera-tions. They tend to be dogmatic, committed tocertain indisputable beliefs that are not open forquestioning, modification, or debate, becausethe doctrines are supernaturally revealed.Conservatives are not open to science when itis thought to contradict the supernatural revela-tion they believe they have received from God.(Again, I have adapted these broad descriptionsfrom George C. Bedell, Leo Sandon, Jr., andCharles T. Wellborn, Religion in America; NewYork: Macmillan, 1975; pp. 207-209)

Currently, the religious right is focused ontheir usual concerns about gay marriage, evolu-tion, flag burning, and so on. However, whenthe life extension story breaks into the broaderculture, the religious right is going to havesomething to say about it, and I think the reac-tion could split in several ways.

For sure, there will be opposition in theform of the usual objections, such as the claimthat life extension advocates are playing God.For conservatives, this and other concerns willbe grounded in a general suspicion of science.However, I think it is going to be more compli-cated for conservatives than with most otherissues where conservatives tend to see things inblack and white. John Warwick Montgomery,in a 1990 article (“Cryonics and Orthodoxy”)on the Alcor website, printed in the evangelicalmagazine Christianity Today, said serious theolo-gies of cryonics will be developed by the “trulyprogressive evangelical theologians.” I wouldnot go that far, but I think a significant segmentof conservative Christianity is going to embracelife extension.

Most of my work is as a historian of reli-gion, but I am also trained in clinical psychology,practiced part-time for a decade, and use thismethod for studying religious behavior.

Calvin is shown here with his wife, Susan, at the 7th Alcor Conference Open House.


Specifically, I appropriate Aaron Beck’s cognitivetherapy model to analyze fundamentalism. If Iam right in my identification of the fundamentalcognitive schema that drives many conservativereligious folk, then they are going to be tornbetween their suspicion of science on the onehand and, on the other hand, the deep schema,involving fear, that could lead them to be opento life extension.

In a manuscript almost completed, Iargue that the fundamentalist schema is: “If Idon’t get it right, I’m not a Christian, and Iwill go to hell.” In addition to whatever nerv-ousness fundamentalists have about dying byvirtue of being a human being with a survivalinstinct, there is an added concern by the fun-damentalist Christian who believes they willgo to hell if they do not “get it right.” So lifeextension is going to gain some support fromconservative Christians who want to stay hereuntil they are sure they get it right.

RESURRECTIONHow all Christians, and especially conserva-

tive Christians, respond to this science is going todepend in part on how certain symbols and doc-trines are processed in light of life extension.

Let us briefly experiment with theChristian doctrine of resurrection. This is achallenging one to tackle, because it can getquite complicated, and I do not think the con-nection with life extension is necessarily easy tomake. However, resurrection is a central theo-logical notion in Christianity, and it goes to theheart of the matter with regard to the concernsof the life extension community. If resurrec-tion can be understood in a way that bringsChristian theology, on this point, in dialogue(maybe even integration) with life extension sci-ence, then the payoff both for the religion andthe cause of life extension in gaining a hearingin this religious community could be significant.

In an article posted on the Alcor website(“Why a Religious Person Can ChooseCryonics”), Steve Bridge says cryonics is notabout bringing the dead back to life and it is notabout performing miracles. I agree with bothstatements. Both are accurate and it is wise forthe cryonics movement to claim their membersare still alive as patients. However, I want tointerpret death and resurrection in a way thatmay allow Christians, especially conservativeChristians, who participate in the life extensionmovement to think about life extension andcryonics in these terms.

The Greek word anastasis is composed oftwo words, the preposition ana, “up,” and then,stasis, the word for “stand.” In the Greek world

anastasis can have shades of meaning—raise upand, sometimes, to awaken or to recover. It haseven been used to refer to repairing walls. In theearly Christian texts, there are several kinds ofraisings. There is the resuscitation of the dead—as they understood dead, where Jesus raisessomeone from the dead and life goes on prettymuch as before. As an example, Jesus raisedLazarus from what they understood to be dead.

This resuscitation from the dead is distin-guished from resurrection which results in atransformed body that is qualitatively differ-ent from the body before the resurrection.Here, life does not continue as before, ratherit continues in a transformed body with newpossibilities. In his transformed body, Jesusappeared and disappeared and movedthrough doors. Transhumanists would likethat, maybe. But even here resurrection con-tinues the physical dimension of the per-son—i.e., the physical structure of the brain,if you will, that encodes memories and per-sonality. Resurrection in the sense of a trans-formed body, whether it is Jesus or the believ-er at the end of time, preserves the memoriesand personality of the resurrected person.

The transformation entailed in resurrec-tion of the body is different from the idea of animmortal soul that came into Christian teachingfrom the Hellenistic world. Resurrection of thebody is based on the Jewish notion of psycho-somatic unity of the human being. In Jewishthought, we do not have a soul, we are soul. Sothe transformed state retains, in some sense, thephysical dimension.

Both of these kinds of raisings—resuscita-tion of the dead and resurrection of the body—can be applied to cryonics, whether the scenariois standing someone up (to play on the Greekword) in pretty much the same kind of body theyhad before, except that the cancer is now cured,or transforming the body with robotics and nan-otechnology-driven medicine.

It may seem that in arguing for resurrectionI am saying that in life extension and in cryonicsdeath is overcome. I am not saying that. Rather,I want to apply information theoretic death towhat the ancient world called death. I am rein-terpreting “death” there too. If in 2008 bloodstops flowing to my brain and I am not dead,according to the information theoretic criterion,that would also be true for someone in first cen-tury Palestine, until the brain structure is lost.

It seems to me that resurrection, usuallyunderstood as overcoming death, could beexpanded to include extending life eternally.Life extension technologies, including cryon-ics, may be able to extend life indefinitely.

Remember, science and religion are some-times in conflict and sometimes in dialogue.Eternal (i.e., resurrection) and indefinite (i.e.,life extension technology) are not the same,but it seems to me they are close enough thatthey can have a dialogue, and dialogue is whatI would like to facilitate between the lifeextension and religious communities.

Alcor, as a scientific organization, does nottake a theological position on cryonics. Alcor’smembers, of course, are free to interpret cryon-ics in whatever philosophical or maybe theologi-cal way that makes sense to them. I have specu-lated on how some members of one religionmight do this with one doctrine. Hindus aregoing to have their own take on this with theirnotion of the transmigration of the soul.Buddhists, with their pragmatic approach to suf-fering expressed in the Four Noble Truths, aregoing to weigh in from another perspective.

You think being a cryonics member is inter-esting now. Just wait until the Alcor Conferencewhere you are sitting at the banquet table with ahalf dozen atheists or agnostics. But now thereis a Hindu pantheist, a Zen Buddhist mediator, aMormon transhumanist (they now have anorganization and a website), a fundamentalistChristian, and a liberal Christian. And the dis-cussion between the last two, if they are eventalking to one another (and they usually don’t), ismore heated than even the debate between thetheist and atheist at the table.�

Calvin Mercer, Ph.D.

Dr. Mercer teaches religious studies atEast Carolina University. He is co-edit-ing a book to be published in 2009 byPalgrave Macmillan Press, Religion andthe Implications of Radical LifeExtension, covering the religious impli-cations of radical life extension science.Dr. Mercer is a frequent speaker on thistopic. This article is a slight revision ofhis presentation at the October 2007Alcor Conference.


E nding Aging is the most pathfinding bookI have read so far this century — it pres-

ents nothing less than a complete scientificroadmap to eliminating the effects of humanaging. Most books with titles similar to thisare long on wishful thinking and short onhard science, but considering who authoredthis book I had good reason to suspect that itmight be different, and indeed it was.

Before Ending Aging was published, it wasnot very easy to discover the significance ofDr. de Grey’s contributions to this field. Thiswas attempted in a fascinating British televi-sion documentary about de Grey called DoYou Want to Live Forever? (This has not yet beenshown in the U.S. but you can see the full 75-minute program online on Google Video bysearching for the title.) The documentary,however, did not explain the science behindhis thinking, so did not provide a way for meto judge the validity of his ideas. He does havea website that briefly describes his plan, calledStrategies for Engineered NegligibleSenescence or SENS (www.sens.org), but ashe himself states, his ideas really requirebook-length treatment to explain.

Fortunately, that book is now available —and the book is more exciting than the bestdetective novel, as the mysteries of aging aregradually unraveled, the results of the lateststudies are revealed, and the bio-engineeringstrategies for actually reversing the effects ofaging are systematically developed. The bookis written so a person without any sciencebackground can understand it, yet is detailedenough to communicate the ideas to scientistsas well. This can be a fine line to tread, andthe book does a pretty good job of it.

There is no point in trying to summarizethe book’s ideas in a mere review. Suffice it tosay that it presents aging as a genetic disorderwhich can, should, and will be defeated, and,for the first time, describes a detailed path bywhich that might be accomplished. If youwant a summary you could look at the SENSwebsite, but to really understand the ideasthere is likely no substitute for reading thebook.

That Ending Aging is a book full of bril-liant ideas I have no doubt. But the real ques-tion is: Are they correct? To that question I dohave a few doubts — but in a certain sensethis does not matter because both science andengineering are self-correcting as moreknowledge and better techniques areobtained. What de Grey describes in thisbook are engineering strategies based onunderstood bioscience and biotechnology. Itis exceedingly rare for engineering develop-ment of complex technology to follow asmooth path that closely conforms to the firstdesign. Rather, engineers have to build a littleand test a little, over and over, until they get afinal design that works in the real world. Butthat does not diminish the importance of thefirst design. We knew, for example, that aspace shuttle could be built long before wewent through various iterative designs to pro-duce an actual working shuttle. De Grey’sbreakthrough contribution is to create adetailed “first design” for ending aging, farbeyond what anybody has done before.

De Grey’s ideas are controversial in thescientific community. This is as it should be— it is constant criticism and testing thatweed out the good scientific ideas from the

bad ones. Ultimately, only time will tell howvalid his ideas are. In 2005 and 2006, MIT’sTechnology Review offered a $20,000 prize forany scientist that could convince an independ-ent panel of biotechnology experts that deGrey’s ideas were shown to be invalid. Theprize went uncollected, although this, ofcourse, does not mean that the ideas havebeen shown to be valid either.

Writing this at 60 years old, do I believethat de Grey’s plan to reverse the effects ofaging will be a clinical reality in time to do meany good personally (i.e. before I need toresort to cryopreservation)? My answer tothat is a firm “No.” In my own field of workas a research tech in molecular genetics, I amacutely aware of how long it takes to turn bio-logical theory into benchtop reality, let aloneclinical application. While an undergraduate inbiological science I became excited about thetheoretically sound idea of using viruses asvectors to introduce genes into humans totreat a wide range of conditions. Over 40years later, the prospect of using gene therapytechniques in widespread clinical applicationstill remains a dream for the future, and deGrey’s plan is immensely more complicatedthan that.

This book is a very effective argumentagainst the idea that aging and death are natu-ral parts of life that should be accepted assuch. That philosophy might seem appropri-ate to those who believe there is no otherchoice. But it would be difficult for anybodyto read this book without concluding that inthe future there will indeed be another choice,and that the coming end of aging can bemeasured in decades rather than centuries. �

The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That CouldReverse Human Aging In Our Lifetime

book review by DAVID BRANDT-ERICHSEN

Author: Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D., with Michael Rae (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007)


Brain’s Memory Capacity Less Than Thought

If you can’t remember where you left the carkeys, take comfort in a new study that sug-gests the brain’s memory capacity may be farlower than once thought. About 100 billionneurons, or brain cells, make up the averageadult’s brain, but the computer-based discov-ery shows our memory isn’t based simply onneuron numbers. Instead, the limited amountof connections a neuron can make to otherneurons may cut memory capacity. Co-authorPeter Latham, a neuroscientist at UniversityCollege London, and his colleague’s findingsare detailed online in the journal PLoSComputational Biology.

MSNBC9/14/07

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20775068/

New Understanding of BasicUnits of Memory

A molecular “recycling plant” permits nervecells in the brain to carry out two seeminglycontradictory functions – changeable enoughto record new experiences, yet permanentenough to maintain memories over time. Thediscovery of this molecular recycling plant,detailed in a study appearing early online Sept.19 in the journal Neuron, provides new insightsinto the functioning of the basic units oflearning and memory. Individual memories are“burned onto” hundreds of receptors that areconstantly in motion around nerve synapses—gaps between individual nerve cells crucial forsignals to travel throughout the brain.According to the study’s leader, Duke

University Medical Center neurobiologistMichael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., these receptorsare constantly moving around the synapse andoften times they disappear or escape. Ehlersdiscovered that a specific set of moleculescatch these elusive receptors, take them to therecycling plant where they are reprocessed andreturned to the synapse intact.

ScienceDaily9/24/07

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070919123138.htm

Genes Found That Slow Both Aging and Cancer

Researchers have identified a batch of genesthat not only prevent cancer but slow the agingprocess in worms and say they are now look-ing to see if the genes have the same proper-ties in humans. Many of the genes in theworms are already known to have counter-parts in humans, and the team at theUniversity of California, San Francisco, saysthey hope to better understand some of theprocesses that cause both aging and cancer.Drugs that mimic the effects of these genesmight help people both avoid cancer and alsolive longer, they wrote in the Oct. 14 issue ofthe journal Nature Genetics. Biologist CynthiaKenyon is perhaps best known for discoveringthat a change in just one gene, called daf-2,could double the life span of small round-worms called Caenorhabditis elegans. “Thereis a widely held view that any mechanism thatslows aging would probably stimulate tumorgrowth,” Kenyon said in a statement. “But wefound many genes that increase life span, butslow tumor growth. Humans have versions ofmany of these genes …”

MSNBC10/15/07

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21305223/

Healthier Mouse Could Hold Clues to Human Aging

A study by scientists at University CollegeLondon shows that mice lacking the insulinreceptor substrate IRS-1 are more resistant to

aging than normal mice. The research adds toa growing body of work showing the impor-tance of insulin signaling pathways as anaging mechanism in mammals—and poten-tially humans. The study, published in TheFASEB Journal, shows that mice lacking IRS-1 had an average lifespan increase of 20 per-cent when compared to normal mice. Infemale mice lacking IRS-1 this figure was evenhigher, averaging 30 percent. While theexpected life-span for a mouse is about 25months, one of the IRS-1deficient mice inthis research lived for 38 months—66 percentlonger than a normal mouse. As well as livinglonger, the mice without IRS-1 also experi-enced better health than the normal mice asthey aged. Professor Dominic Withers workswith the UCL Centre for Research on Ageingand is lead author of the study.

ScienceDaily10/23/07


U.S. Study Finds Potential New Ways to Fight Aging

Researchers said September 20 they had foundmore ways to activate the body’s own anti-aging defenses – perhaps with a pill that couldfight multiple diseases at once. Their study,published in the journal Cell, helps explain whyanimals fed very low-calorie diets live longer,but it also offers new ways to try to replicatethe effects of these diets using a pill instead ofhunger, the researchers said. “What we are

Tech News R. Michael Perry, Ph.D.


talking about is potentially having one pill thatprevents and even cures many diseases atonce,” said David Sinclair, a pathologist atHarvard Medical School who helped lead theresearch. Sinclair helped found a company thatis working on drugs based on this research,Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.

Reuters.com9/20/07

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2040775520070920

Making Gene Therapy Safer:Delivering Genes via Polymers

In work that could lead to safe and effectivetechniques for gene therapy, MIT researchershave found a way to fine-tune the ability ofbiodegradable polymers to deliver genes.Gene therapy, which involves inserting newgenes into patients’ cells to fight diseases,holds great promise but has yet to realize itsfull potential, in part because of safety con-cerns over the conventional technique ofusing viruses to carry the genes. The newMIT work, published this week in AdvancedMaterials, focuses on creating gene carriers

from synthetic, non-viral materials. The teamis led by Daniel Anderson, research associatein MIT’s Center for Cancer Research.

ScienceDaily9/16/07


Cat Joins Exclusive Genome Club A pedigree cat called Cinnamon has made sci-entific history by becoming the first feline tohave its DNA decoded. The domestic cat nowjoins the select club of mammals whosegenome has been deciphered, including dogs,chimps, rats, mice, cows and people. Thegenome map is expected to shed light on bothfeline and human disease. Cats get hundredsof illnesses similar to human ones, including afeline version of HIV, known as FIV, and ahereditary form of blindness. Cinnamon, afour-year-old Abyssinian cat, has retinitis pig-mentosa, a degenerative eye disease, alsofound in humans, which can lead to blindness.Earlier this year, with the help of thesequence, scientists found the gene change, ormutation, that causes the condition in cats. Dr

Stephen O’Brien of the USNational Cancer Institute spear-headed the project.

BBC News11/1/07

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7073194.stm

Protein Folding NetworkEnters Record Books

A project that harnesses thespare processing power of Sony’sPlayStation 3 (PS3) to helpunderstand the cause of diseaseshas entered the record books.Guinness World Records has rec-ognized folding@home (FAH) asthe world’s most powerful dis-tributed computing network.FAH has signed up nearly700,000 PS3s to examine how theshape of proteins affect diseasessuch as Alzheimer’s. The networkhas more than one petaflop ofcomputing power—the equiva-lent of 1,000 trillion calculationsper second.

BBC News11/2/07

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7074547.stm

Quantum Computing Possibilities Enhanced With

New MaterialScientists at Florida State University’sNational High Magnetic Field Laboratoryand the university’s Department ofChemistry and Biochemistry have intro-duced a new material that could be to com-puters of the future what silicon is to thecomputers of today. The material—a com-pound made from the elements potassium,niobium and oxygen, along with chromiumions—could provide a technological break-through that leads to the development ofnew quantum computing technologies.Quantum computers would harness thepower of atoms and molecules to performmemory and processing tasks on a scale farbeyond those of current computers. “Thefield of quantum information technology isin its infancy, and our work is another stepforward in this fascinating field,” saidSaritha Nellutla, a postdoctoral associate atthe magnet lab and lead author of thepaper published in Physical Review Letters.

ScienceDaily10/9/07


Tiny Chips Flash Memory Advance

Electronics giant Samsung has shown offwhat it claims is the world’s most powerfulchip for use in memory cards. The 64 gigabit(Gb) chips could be used to make 128 giga-byte memory cards, commonly used in MP3players, capable of holding the equivalent of80 DVDs. The chips are built using circuitswith a minimum feature size of just 30nanometers. Rival firm Toshiba has said it isalso working with similar technology. Bothfirms will release products in 2009.

BBC News10/23/07

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7057717.stm

Structure of a piece of biodegradable polymer, which could be used to deliver disease-fighting genes.

Such materials could circumvent the risks associated withusing viruses to carry genes. (Credit: Jordan Green/MIT)

CRYONICS

FIND OUT MORE

ENROLL

What is Cryonics?

How do I find out more?

How do I enroll?

Cryonics is an attempt to preserve and protect the gift of human life, not reverse death. It is the spec-ulative practice of using extreme cold to preserve the life of a person who can no longer be support-

ed by today’s medicine. Will future medicine, including mature nanotechnology, have the ability to heal atthe cellular and molecular levels? Can cryonics successfully carry the cryopreserved person forwardthrough time, for however many decades or centuries might be necessary, until the cryopreservationprocess can be reversed and the person restored to full health? While cryonics may sound like sciencefiction, there is a basis for it in real science. The complete scientific story of cryonics is seldom told inmedia reports, leaving cryonics widely misunderstood. We invite you to reach your own conclusions.

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is the world leader in cryonics research and technology. Alcoris a non-profit organization located in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 1972. Our website is one of

the best sources of detailed introductory information about Alcor and cryopreservation (www.alcor.org).We also invite you to request our FREE information package on the “Free Information” section of ourwebsite. It includes:

• A 30-minute DVD documentary “The Limitless Future”

• A fully illustrated color brochure

• A sample of our magazine

• An application for membership and brochure explaining how to join

• And more!

Your free package should arrive in 1-2 weeks.

(The complete package will be sent free in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.)

Signing up for a cryopreservation is easy!

Step 1: Fill out an application and submit it with your $150 application fee.Step 2: You will then be sent a set of contracts to review and sign.Step 3: Fund your cryopreservation. While most people use life insurance to

fund their cryopreservation, other forms of prepayment are alsoaccepted. Alcor’s Membership Coordinator can provide you with alist of insurance agents familiar with satisfying Alcor’s current fund-ing requirements.

Finally: After enrolling, you will wear emergency alert tags or carry a specialcard in your wallet. This is your confirmation that Alcor will respondimmediately to an emergency call on your behalf.

Call toll-free today to start your application: 877-462-5267 ext. 132 [email protected]

The Limitless FutureGet your FREE copy of Alcor’s

30-minute DVD documentary by visiting the“Free Information” section of our website

Documents

2007 ANnual Review · n this issue ofCryonics magazine, an accounting of the Alcor Foundation’s standing and present-day operational challenges and achievements is offered in our