X-Message-Number: 2553
Date: 13 Jan 94 21:37:48 EST
From: Mike Darwin <>
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS: BPI cryopreservation protocol


My thanks to Michael O'Neal for his response to posting of the BPI
Protocol.  I would like to the make following comments in response to
Michael's response:

Thanks for your suggestions about the suspension events timeline: I'll
use them.

Now, for a little history.  The document you saw was NEVER intended to be
used as a promotional tool.  Rather, it is Attachment I to the BPI
Cryopreservation Contract with the "cryonics organization".  In other
words, the document was generated to serve as a description of services
which BPI will deliver to the contracting cryonics organization.  I had a
real problem in doing up a contract to provide cryonics services in that
I needed to SPELL OUT exactly (more or less) what it was I was providing.
Thus, the purpose of the data in the posted document was NOT to stand as
*real scientific data*, but rather to illustrate the TYPE of data to be
gathered.  I am sorry if this misled you or anyone else.

The actual framework used is the one developed and used (by me) to prepare
data on Alcor suspensions: and yes most of the data (with the exception of
glycerol concentrations reached, cooling medium (alcohol vs. Silcool) is
real patient data used with the permission of Alcor.  I had asked to
actually post a real Alcor patient history (since I thought this would be
GOOD for Alcor too).  Unfortunately, it was not possible to get a decision
in any reasonable period of time (things move fast on the net!).   

  Since BPI has not yet frozen any patients it was not possible
for me to post a REAL BPI case history. I did the next best thing. 

The times indicated are NOT typographical errors.  It takes about 48-72
hours after legal death (and often a day longer!) to reach -79C. 
Sobering, eh?  Of course much of that time is spent near 0C where
presumably little change is going on.  However, just going from 0C to -79C
(even for a neuropatient) takes nearly 24 hours and that's with a 10C
surface to core differential!).

I plan regular updates on our research and progress (current working title
is BPI TECH BRIEFS).  Clearly, there is an enormous amount of education to
do and I think this will pay off in many ways:

* more involvment/investment in our operation here (and we have a REALLY
beautiful set-up; it dwarfs anything that has been done before!)

* more clients for BPI and the organizations offering BPI's services
(currently ACS and CryoCare).

* more support for brain cryopreservation research in general.

* more credibility for human cryopreservation operations in general.

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