X-Message-Number: 15340
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 23:32:57 -0500
From: Paul Antonik Wakfer <>
Subject: Reply to Ettinger Part 2 - # 15222
Once again, lack of comment about any particular Ettinger statement does
not signify agreement that it is correct or even pertinent.
>From:
>Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 11:24:49 EST
>Subject: Vitrification Instalment 2
>It [an Alcor article on vitrification] also says that, as evidence of this
>low toxicity,
>a LESS concentrated formula resulted in 53% viability--presumably meaning of
>cells. This test apparently used only a single criterion of viability, the
>potassium/sodium ratio--with rat hippocampal slices, not whole brains.
>
>If almost half the cells are killed, even by the single criterion used, then
>"relatively low toxicity" clearly must emphasize the "relatively."
The sodium/potassium ratio test is a standard test for cellular
viability precisely. It is used (although not widely in cryobiology)
precisely because for this ratio to be actively maintained by a cell, an
enormous amount of the total cellular biochemical machinery must be
intact and working in a coordinated fashion. Elements of this machinery
are full mitochondrial integrity and production of ATP, cellular
membrane integrity, and the membrane pumping molecules.
For eukaryotic cells, the normal extra-cellular concentrations of Sodium
and Potassium are approximately 140 mM and 10 mM respectively and the
the intra-cellular respective concentrations are approximately 10 mM and
100 mM. This combined ratio of inside to outside concentrations (140)
must be maintained by active pumping by the cellular membrane protein,
sodium/potassium ATPase, which pumps out approximately 3 Na+ (sodium)
ions for every 2 K+ (potassium) ions which enter, using up one ATP
molecule in the process. 53% "viability" means that under identical
preparation conditions, the whole tissue ratio of sodium/potassium
(measured by destructive means) of the experimental sample is 53% of
that of the control sample (which is automatically assigned 100%
"viability"). Thus, as a global tissue parameter, the test makes no
determination of the "viability" of individual cells.
However, the Na/K ratio is considered to be an excellent test of
functional viability because previous work testing the toxicity of
various cryoprotectant mixtures on rabbit kidneys showed better than 90%
correlation with survival and full functionality after transplantation
into live rabbits (ie. the rabbit receiving the transplant as its only
kidney had normal kidney function after recovery).
>It is especially interesting that the inventors, employees of 21CM, were not
>professional cryobiologists. Brian Wowk, as I recall, has a recent Ph.D. in
>biophysics, and had little or no previous experience in cryobiology.
It should be noted that there is no such academic discipline as
cryobiology. It is so minor that there are no undergraduate or graduate
courses or programs. *All* scientific practitioners of cryobiology began
their careers in other disciplines and only became cryobiologists by
later experimenting with, and/or theorizing about, the biology of low
temperatures. In fact, a person trained in biophysics is far better
qualified to do cryobiology than is a person trained in say, cell
biology. As I understand it, that is the major reason why Brian chose
biophysics for his PhD program.
>Federowicz has no academic credentials whatever, and also, as far as I know,
>no previous professional publications. I am not acquainted with Sandra
>Russell. Steve Harris is a young physician, also, I believe, without previous
>experience in cryobiology. So this new blood was able in short order to do
>things that the whole "community" of cryobiologists had not done in previous
>decades. That is encouraging.
There are several points which must be made here.
1. Once again cryobiology has always been and remains a largely
self-taught discipline.
2. Since when are the worth of scientific contributions to be judged by
the worth or the academic credentials of the contributor?
3. All the above persons have been studying and working in cryobiology
(the science of low temperature biology) for many years. So they were
neither "new blood" nor did they do anything "in short order".
4. Ettinger well knows that some of them (Michael Federowicz - aka Mike
Darwin - and Steve Harris together with the late Jerry Leaf) have
attempted peer-reviewed publication of results of previous experiments
and that this has been forbidden by the Society for Cryobiology itself,
because of their association with cryonics.
5. "Young physician" is hardly an accurate description of Steve Harris
who is over 40 and while having an MD has always been involved in
gerontological or cryonics related research instead of being a full-time
patient care provider with his own practice.
6. Apart from the intelligence and insight of the 21CM researchers, the
reason that these discoveries were not made by academic cryobiologists
earlier is that they are not interested in cryopreservation of large
tissue masses, that cryobiology has been mainly a backwater of science
for many years, and that current academic cryobiologists are not
motivated by any interest in saving their own lives to work hard enough
and think deeply enough on the subject. In fact, the major part of the
"whole community" of cryobiologists which are interested in the problem
of cryopreservation of large tissue masses is currently contributing to
the progress at 21CM or INC.
Here is the portion of the Bylaws of the Society for Cryobiology which
outlaws the practice of cryonics by its members.
2.04. Denial of membership and Discipline of Members
Upon a two-thirds vote of the Governors in office,
the Board of Governors may refuse membership to
applicants, or suspend or expel members (including both individual and
institutional members), whose conduct is deemed detrimental to the
Society, including applicants or members engaged in or who promote any
practice or application which the Board of Governors deems
incompatible with the ethical and scientific standards of the Society or
as
misrepresenting the science of cryobiology, including any practice or
application of freezing deceased persons in the anticipation of their
reanimation. Every member whose suspension or expulsion is under
consideration shall be given written notice therof at least fourteen
(14)
days before the vote on such suspension or expulsion, which notice shall
state the grounds for the proposed action of the Board of Governors,
and such member may petition the Board of Governors in writing before
the vote.
-- Paul --
The Institute for Neural Cryobiology - http://neurocryo.org
A California charitable corporation funding research to
perfect cryopreservation of central nervous system tissue
for neuroscience research & medical repair of the brain.
Voice-mail: 416-968-6291 Fax: 559-663-5511
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