X-Message-Number: 10014
Date: Wed, 08 Jul 1998 03:29:39 -0400
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: Hippocampal Slice Project Update

The Hippocampal Slice Project (HSP) is a joint research effort by The
Institute for Neural Cryobiology (INC) and a research institute
affiliated with a major Southern California university medical center
(RI), which seeks to successfully cryopreserve (most likely by
vitrification) rat hippocampal slices, and after rewarming, have them
exhibit full functionality (including the propagation of evoked nerve
activity along axons from neuron to neuron across the rewarmed brain
slice). The HSP seeks to accomplish this, and to demonstrate its success
by methods which will be applicable to whole brains, with the additional
advances necessary to allow the perfusion of the cryoprotectant
mixtures, and the induction of the cooling/warming rate protocols which
the HSP shows will allow successful reversible cryopreservation. For
more details see: http://neurocryo.org

The project has achieve full committee and contractual approval by both
parties and is currently in the funding, staffing, and equipment
procurement phase. The funding plans call for approximately $75,000 to
be contributed by RI with the option to allocate an additional $25,000
as needed. This money from RI is already available to the project's
Principal Investigator. INC is to contribute approximately $78,000 worth
of equipment for the specialized needs of the project.

Currently, INC has raised a total of $44,000 for this purpose, either in
the bank or on its way. The most advanced and expensive piece of
equipment, a PCI2000 Motionscope image recording system costing
$25,500.00 capable of recording 8,000 frames per second, has now been
ordered and other equipment orders will soon follow (up to the funds we
have available). We are now at the stage where staffing plans cannot be
finalized until we know when we can actually begin the project research.
That, of course, cannot happen until all the equipment is in place, and
in turn, that cannot happen until INC has the money to procure the
equipment.  

Trying to raise the funds for this project has been both disappointing
and at the same time heartening. Is has been disappointing to see so few
pledgers to the Prometheus Project come through with funding for this
project which is a direct result of Prometheus. On the other hand, it
has been heartening to have such large donations from Edgar Swank
($8,000) and Tim Freeman ($6,000), to have several people donate who
were not Prometheus pledgers, John Bull ($1,000) and Kevin Brown ($500),
to have checks arrive unannounced from totally unknown (to me) people,
Claude & Melinda Young ($500), and finally, to have our first donation
for someone outside of the US or Canada, Stephen Whitrow from the UK
($500). I wish also to make special mention of Keith Lynch and Mark
Mugler both of whom sent a *second* $1,000 contribution.

Since I, personally, no longer have the liquid assets to place toward
this project, I have devised a method to use some of the few assets
which I have left after my 6+ years of cryonics activities, which I hope
may be sufficient to attract the remaining funds needed for the HSP.
Here is my proposal.

For each donation of $5,000 or more to INC for the HSP, I will give the
donor an option to purchase shares in 21st Century Medicine from me at
any time after those shares become salable, for $10 per share, up to the
total of the donation amount. At this price, my share holdings in 21CM
are sufficient to cover all the rest of the money which needs to be
raised for the HSP. Since 21CM is planning a share offering within the
next year (possibly before the end of this year) which is virtually
certain to be at a minimum of $10 per share, with minimum size purchase
of at least $10,000, I believe that my offer should be attractive to
those who have always wanted to *invest* in cryonics research rather
than donate. To be fair, I must also extend this offer to Edgar Swank,
Tim Freeman and Roy Yowell, the three people who have already donated
$5,000 or more.

I thank you for your attention and I look forward to your response.

-- Paul --

 Voice/Fax: 416-968-6291 Page: 800-805-2870
The Institute for Neural Cryobiology - http://neurocryo.org
Perfected cryopreservation of Central Nervous System tissue
for neuroscience research and medical repair of brain diseases

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