X-Message-Number: 18934
From: "Ben Best" <>
Subject: Hippocampal Slice Cryopreservation Project (HSCP) Update
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 02:31:53 -0700

HIPPOCAMPAL SLICE CRYOPRESERVATION PROJECT (HSCP) UPDATE

   It has been a year since I was soliciting 
for HSCP donations on CryoNet.  Now the project 
is completed, and we are moving on to getting 
the very positive results of the project published.

   Dr. Fahy submitted a paper on HSCP results 
to NEUROREPORT. Unfortunately, the NEUROREPORT 
article was rejected for the primary reason that 
the reviewers did not believe it would be of 
interest to their readers. The reviewers also 
indicated that the results (converting an 
approximately 0% recovery rate with freezing to 
an approximately 100% recovery rate with 
vitrification) were not particularly 
groundbreaking or innovative -- indicating their 
ignorance of brain cryopreservation (not 
surprising given their lack of interest).

     Dr. Fahy's plan is to revise the article 
and submit it to another neuroscience journal.  
We feel it is important for neurobiologists, 
who might be the ultimate users of the preservation
techniques described in the paper, to become aware 
of the work, which is less likely if the paper is 
published in CRYOBIOLOGY. I have suggested the 
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS as a possibility,
but the final venue has not yet been decided.

        Before the project ended, some brain slices 
were fixed for electron microscopy as well as light 
microscopy.  The light microscopic results are generally 
excellent, and Dr. Fahy has finally had time to examine 
the slices in the electron microscope as well.  The 
results show much less damage with vitrification
than with freezing, although some injury attributable 
to cryoprotectant introduction and removal or, in rare 
cases, a stray ice crystal, can be seen.  If additional 
electron microscopy is needed, it will be possible, 
since there is still enough money in the INC account 
to cover this cost.  Dr. Fahy hopes to publish another 
paper on the histology & ultrastructure when EMs and 
other data have been fully analyzed.

    I again thank those who generously contributed 
to INC/HSCP and I look forward to being able to report 
to you that HSCP results have entered the body of 
scientific knowledge in a peer-reviewed journal.

            Ben Best, President
            The Institute For Neural Cryobiology
            http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/hscp.html

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