X-Message-Number: 17778 Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 04:00:21 -0400 Subject: What Up, Doc? From: A day or so ago, Mr. (Ms.?) Fair4Us wondered aloud what Yuri Pichugin was up to lately at the Cryonics Institute. The text below might answer his question. It was handed out to members and visitors at CI's Annual Meeting this September 30th: "CI RESEARCH AGENDA "Sep. 30, 2001 "[The following announcement is by Yuri Pichugin, PhD., Director of Research, Cryonics Institute; and Robert Ettinger, M.S.,M.A., President, Cryonics Institute.] "The broad purposes of our research plans are (1) to improve our standard procedure in order to maximize our patients probability of revival; and (2) to investigate alternative procedures, so as eventually to offer the best possible range of options, depending on the circumstances of the members or patients. "Some of the broad classes of options, with different degrees of priority, include: new approaches with glycerol and other traditional cryoprotective agents in various combinations and using varying procedures; new compositions of washout solution; consideration of various premedications; relatively new or relatively little investigated agents; new approaches to vitrification, or procedures with similar results. "At an appropriate time there may also be implementation (by other CI people) of Cl s design of a passive cryostat to operate in the vicinity of- 130 C, if we should, for example, settle on a vitrification or other procedure with storage desired in that temperature range. (The general plan for this has been previously published, and we may publish it again, or a revised one, at a later time.) "The following outline does not include all of the technical details, even for the earliest contemplated work -- in part because these may change, in part because they are too extensive and technical for our purpose here; and in part because some of them may (if the CI directors so decide) be claimed as proprietary and may be involved in patent applications. "In all cases, according to current CI policy, significant changes in procedure will be applied to human patients only after testing with experimental animals and evaluation of results both in-house and by independent consultants. "Evaluation of results, whenever appropriate, will be by at least three methods -- biochemical or cell physiology tests such as the K/Na ratio; histology through light and electron microscopy, and electrophysiology (EEG-like tests of function of neural nets). Evaluation will also be approached both from the brain slice model and the whole brain model, since each reveals different information to some extent. "The CI research laboratory, a separate building not far from the main facility, required considerable structural modification, but is expected to be ready for use very shortly. Most of the equipment has already been obtained, installed, and tested. "The experiments will employ rats (kept on site under humane conditions and anaesthetized before experiments); sheep heads (obtained from a slaughter-house); and later rabbits (of course also humanely treated and never subjected to pain or distress). " The earliest plans include the following. "1. Further evaluation of the current standard CI procedure. This will include use of the rat brain slice model and the K/Na ratio assay. "2. Modification of the blood washout phase and the washout solution used. This will probably involve the RPS-2 solution (described in existing literature, but modified according to CI requirements and decisions) at a temperature of 4 C. "3. Modification of the perfusate, according to conclusions which will be further tested, including changing the buffer and some of the electrolytes, and the use of some new additives. "4. Testing of the above and of cooling rates at different stages of the procedure, separately and in combination. Also trials and evaluations of various parameters of equilibration and washout of cryoprotectant. Trials and evaluations of different rates of rewarming. "5. If things go as hoped, and some of the new ideas prove correct, we may be able to create a new cryopreservation method somewhat like vitrification but easier and more stable, and not requiring very fast cooling and warming rates for the best results. But in any case we will make advances." Since then the lab has in fact gotten itself set up and operating. Tests involving the use of rat brains to help ascertain optimal glycerol concentrations and cooling rates have started. And selected CI members, staff, officers, and Directors, have been involved in discussions with Dr. Pichugin regarding which aspect of the testing procedures should be given priority. In short, everything seems to be progressing as it should. A word, though. Science is science: it's a painstaking and very calculated and precise step-by-step process. I have the impression that a lot of people in cryonics would like scientists to perform rather like magicians, making grandiose promises, and delivering miracles instantly. I have that impression because I'm one of those people myself. I'd love to have Dr. Pichugin, or anyone, deliver reversible cryopreservation tomorrow, on a plate, complete with a sprig of parsley. Unfortunately things don't operate like that. To produce a demonstrably less damaging, superior process that can be replicated by one's scientific peers is the sort of thing that requires many tests, many variations on those tests, and many repetitions of such tests. It isn't an instant process. But we're not after instant results. We're after certain results. One of the great misfortunes of the cryonics field is that it is rife with guesses. We don't really *know* what what is best. What we do is read this article or that cryobiological journal and extrapolate from it, assuming that if this is so, then such-and-such a treatment derived from it 'ought' to work. CI is trying to get beyond that by testing everything directly, stating the results openly, and then having it evaluated independently. It is the only real way to reach the truth. But it takes a lot of thorough, painstaking effort, and that takes money, work, and time. By means of such efforts, CI hopes in due course to produce the demonstrably best suspension protocols and procedures in the field. Soon -- hopefully. But not, I am sorry to say, tomorrow. Don't worry, though: when the time comes to make the announcement, you can rest assured that we will. David Pascal http://www.cryonics.org P.S. -- I'd especially like to thank Mr. Olaf Henny for being good enough to make the point that maybe one reason CI raconteurs haven't been posting much lately is that we might be pretty busy. Boy, he ain't kidding. There has been a *lot* to do lately. So much so that boldly entering the recurring Cryonet debates about the Spanish Inquisition, the nature of Self, and Lyndon LaRouche has, alas, taken a back seat among CI personnel at this time. There are maybe better ways to advance the science of cryobiology and the methods of cryonics. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17778