X-Message-Number: 7838 Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 20:02:46 -0800 From: Paul Wakfer <> Subject: Prometheus Policy Announcement Re 21CM Introduction While I am a founder of 21st Century Medicine (21CM) and a major shareholder, for various reasons, I have not been involved in its operations or planning for some time. Therefore, although I was aware of some of the developments and plans taking place at that company, I was almost as surprised as other cryonicists at the strength of Brian Wowk's announcement concerning 21CM research results and future plans. Both the news of the vitrification "breakthroughs" which yet need to be fully confirmed, detailed and published, and of the major increase of funding from the Life Extension Foundation to a level far above anything ever seen in cryonics before, were very welcome and exciting to me as, I expect, to all cryonicists. However, I also saw that these research efforts and funding, especially since they are already occurring, might have the effect of overshadowing the Prometheus Project (whose funding currently *pledged* is less than the total being *spent* by 21CM) and might, therefore, have a negative effect on the rate of accumulation of pledges and even on the future of the Project. On the other hand, those same research results and funding efforts (and the continuing research results which are bound to follow from such major funding) should be a big boost for the credibility of the Prometheus Project's goal of perfecting suspended animation within 20 years. In an effort to reap the benefits of this credibility boost for the Prometheus Project and at the same time make the Project more flexible concerning how its goals will actually be attained, after consultation with the current pledgers, the following alterations in Prometheus Project policy have been formulated. Policy Changes 1. In order to avoid any real or imagined conflicts of interest between the Prometheus Project pledge campaign and the management of 21CM, with their concurrence, Brian Wowk and Saul Kent will no longer be listed as Prometheus Project advisors. 2. Instead of insisting on the formation of a new company for that express purpose as the sole method of conducting its proposed research, the Prometheus Project plans will be changed to gain the flexibility of having existing organizations contribute to the accomplishment of its goals. What this means is that if an existing organization meets the Prometheus Project's standards of science scholarship and has major research plans directly aimed at suspended animation, then that research of such an organization will be considered to be part of the Prometheus Project and will become eligible for Prometheus Project funding when the pledge campaign has reached a level where collection of pledges will actually begin. It is even possible (and might be beneficial by avoiding the major expenditures of company formation and facility startup) that no new company for the express purpose of conducting the Project research will ever be formed. 3. While any company formed for the express purpose of conducting Prometheus Project research, would incorporate the current pledger share purchase conditions, vesting, technology discounts, availability of interim results to all cryonics organizations, etc. into its policies, we cannot expect that same degree of fidelity to the Project plans from other organizations who may be otherwise eligible for inclusion in the Prometheus Project. However, in order to attract contributions from Prometheus pledgers, who currently have individual approval rights and were presumably attracted by these conditions, it is strongly suggested that similar contributor rights and privileges be considered by such organizations. 4. Henceforth, two categories of Prometheus Project funding will be tracked: a) those funds which are conditionally pledged, and b) those funds which are already being contributed yearly towards research directly related to the Prometheus Project goals. 5. For some months, it has been apparent that the initial goal of $1 million per year would not be sufficient to provide for all the research that will be necessary to accomplish even the brain cryopreservation portion of the Project. I believe that in the initial calculations, insufficient weight was given to the difficulty and cost of the convincing demonstration of recovery of mental faculties. The Project pledge goal has, therefore, been increased to $1.5 million per year, although the approval of plans and purchase of shares will still begin at the $1 million dollar per year pledge level. In addition, any pledger will be free to convert his or her pledge into a monetary contribution to any already existing organization which is "part" of the Prometheus Project in the sense defined above. Application to 21CM These policy changes will be applied to 21st Century Medicine as follows: 1. Of the total funding which the Life Extension Foundation is providing to 21CM, our estimate is that the amount directly funding research with the same goals as the Prometheus Project is approximately $400,000 per year. Furthermore, the Life Extension Foundation is committed to continue that level of funding or better indefinitely until the goal is accomplished. While I do not currently consider the 21CM research team to be at the level of scientific scholarship which was intended for those scientists who would be executing the Project's goals, if the planned additional acquisitions of credentialed scientific staff and full publication of research results take place, this will indeed be the case. Therefore, I have decided to include the above $400,000 per year as part of the Prometheus Project total under the category of funds already being contributed to suspended animation research. 2. The 21CM research announcement and tentative results will become a part of the growing body of documentation describing, and supporting the credibility of the Prometheus Project. It is my hope that scientists at 21CM and elsewhere will soon contribute to a comprehensive ten year scientific plan which can be included in the Project materials. Once such a scientific plan is more complete, a detailed business plan can also be formulated. Since I know there are many life extensionists who are waiting for more detailed plans before committing themselves to the Project, this should greatly help increase the pledge and funding totals directed toward perfecting suspended animation. Where we are now With these changes, the new Prometheus Project total of yearly funds pledged to, or invested in research directly related to its goals is $761,600. The results described by 21CM, if completed and published suggest that both the reversible brain cryopreservation goal and the perfected suspended animation goal are more credible and closer to accomplishment than we thought. Although we are now aiming at a funding level of $1.5 million per year for up to ten years, we are over half way there and have a better than ever chance of reaching $1 million by the end of 1997, at which time pledgers will be asked to commence their funding. The Prometheus Project now has more credibility than ever, from both funding and research points of view. We are *determined to*, we *can*, and we *will* see suspended animation achieved and medically accepted by the year 2020. -- Paul -- Paul Wakfer email: phone:909-481-9620 pager:800-805-2870 HELP TO ACHIEVE - PERFECTED SUSPENDED ANIMATION WITHIN 20 YEARS! Check out the Prometheus Project web site at URL: http://www.prometheus-project.org/prometheus/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=7838