X-Message-Number: 3223 Date: Fri, 07 Oct 94 20:24:24 From: Steve Bridge <> Subject: CRYONICS Alcor research To CryoNet >From Steve Bridge, Alcor October 7, 1994 NOTE: The following brief announcement will appear in the 4th Quarter CRYONICS magazine, which is approaching completion now. I know that several of you will be tempted to ask further questions on CryoNet or to call Alcor staff or me to find out more. Please don't yet. We're still in the middle of things and are simply not ready to say more at this time. Steve Bridge **************************************************************** On September 25, 1994, Alcor began the first steps in its new research program. Parts of the experiment were still ongoing at press time, and evaluation of the results will take several weeks at least. A more complete report is planned for the 1st Quarter 1995 issue of CRYONICS. We can, however, report on one interesting result. One of the experiment's objectives was to assess the feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) to determine the 3-dimensional distribution of glycerol in a cryoprotected subject. The research team performed total body washouts on two dogs, similar to the treatment which would be performed in a cryonic suspension. The control animal received no further perfusion. The experimental animal was given a cryoprotective perfusion, reaching a high terminal concentration of 9.40 molar glycerol. The animals' heads were removed, and the unfrozen heads were scanned using both MRI and CT (at water ice temperature). With both methods, the glycerolized subject could easily be distinguished from the unglycerolized control. The method has the potential of being used on future research animals and even suspension patients to determine if there are pockets of tissue not adequately glycerolized. (A preliminary examination of the scan pictures on this case appeared to show even glycerolization of the experimental subject.) After this the heads were frozen to dry ice temperature and scanned again. The difference in the control vs. the glycerolized animal again could be seen in the CT images, but the MRI images were blank, as we thought they might be. Apparently solidification of the tissue restricted atomic motion enough to prevent the resonance effects that produce images. We plan to extend this line of research in several directions. If you would like to donate toward this work, please contact Steve Bridge or David Pizer at Alcor. Since Alcor is a tax-exempt non-profit organization, your donations may be tax deductible. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3223