The whole body vitrification system is in the final stretches. This project has turned out to be more complex than anticipated, but the end result is expected to be truly extraordinary. The new system will be the most advance human cryopreservation system in the world, with complete integration and control of the relevant cryopreservation parameters, cooling, operator feedback, safety systems, and graceful failure modes. Testing will be just beginning in early October, but an excellent demonstration will be offered during the 7th Alcor Conference open house.
Additional progress is being made in the custom fabrication of a heat exchanger for use with perflurocarbon cooling and the evaluation of a new integrated cardiopulmonary bypass system for the air transportable perfusion (ATP), which has the promise of significantly reducing the size and weight of the system for stabilization and transport.
Clinical Update
Bigfoot 12 is now ready to accept patients. The filling manifold has been extended to include the new dewar and the fill gauge built and installed. This dewar may be sent back to the manufacturer for re-wrapping of the insulation. The Bigfoot-1 repair continues. Hugh Hixon has pumped down the vacuum in the dewar for over 1,500 hours, reaching the temperature of 210 degrees C, in an attempt to remove the water collected in the system. Vacuum pressure has been reduced to 6 microns and is holding steady. It will continue to be pumped down until it is stable for two weeks, and then it will be tested with nitrogen.
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