On Saturday, September 9, Alcor conducted its annual board meeting. All directors and officers were re-elected.
The results were as follows:
Board of Directors
Saul Kent
Jerry Lemler, MD
Ralph Merkle, PhD
Carlos Mondragon
Michael Riskin, CPA, PhD (Chairman)
Michael R. Seidl, PhD, JD
Stephen J. Van Sickle
Brian Wowk, PhD
Officers
President/Executive Director
Stephen J.Van Sickle
Vice President
Michael Riskin, CPA, PhD
Secretary/Treasurer
Joseph Hovey
This Saturdy, we are having our annual general Board Meeting here at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale. Five of the eight Board members will be attending in person, so this is a great opportunity to meet them and grill them with your questions, comments, and concerns. The meeting begins at 11:00 am Arizona time, and lunch will be served.
The 6th Alcor Conference
October 6-8
Scottsdale Marriott in Scottsdale, Arizona
REGISTER NOW to take advantage of the reduced rate of $395. Rates increase September 1st.
Is it possible to stop aging? Will nanomedicine and medical nanorobots dramatically extend the human lifespan? Can cryopreserved human beings be revived in the future and what impact would result? Join us to hear distinguished speakers present their provocative insights into anti-aging, life extension research, nanotechnology, organ preservation, cryonics and more.
Alcor’s annual conference is approaching, and it is our hope that you will join us as a sponsor in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Scottsdale Marriott. Our conference theme this year is “An Inside Look at the Science and Medicine of Tomorrow” and the audience is expected to be comprised of 200 or more people. We appreciate your consideration of acting as a sponsor to further the objectives of the non-profit Alcor Foundation.
Make your sponsorship donation today by contacting me toll-free at 877-462-5267 ext. 113, as sponsorship opportunities may reserve quickly. To learn more about the conference, visit www.alcor.org.
Contact: Jennifer Chapman
Email:
Phone: 877-462-5267 ext. 113
SPONSOR LEVELS
Platinum – $15,000 (max. 2 sponsors)
Sponsorship of the dinner on Saturday, October 7th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Full-size ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• Two complimentary conference registrations and hotel rooms
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• On-site exhibition, if desired
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference
Gold – $10,000
Sponsorship of opening reception on Friday, October 6th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Half-page ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• One complimentary conference registration and hotel room
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• On-site exhibition, if desired
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference
Silver – $5,000
Sponsorship of the barbeque on Sunday, October 8th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Quarter page ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• One complimentary conference registration (hotel separate)
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference
Bronze – $2,500
Sponsorship of breaks or Saturday luncheon with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Business card size ad in conference program
• On-site sign recognition at events
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference
Copper – $1,000
Available at select times during the conference with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• On-site sign recognition
• Thank you in Cryonics magazine following the conference
All Contributions are Welcome. Smaller donations will be recognized in
Cryonics magazine following the conference
The Fall issue of Cryonics magazine will focus on ethics. We are seeking an Alcor member to profile who can talk about an ethical dilemma that was faced relevant to the decision to become an Alcor member. We will conduct a 30-minute interview by phone, and we ask that 4 or more photos be supplied for the article.
Anyone who is interested can contact Jennifer Chapman for more information (, 877-462-5267 ext. 113). We are also interested in hearing from anyone interested in writing articles for this or future issues.
Watch Alcor News for announcements about upcoming themes.
In his guest editorial, former Alcor President Steve Bridge talks about
why there aren’t more medical professionals involved in cryonics.
Isn’t it because they are taught in all their education that people who
are clinically dead are just that, dead? And that there is no sense
doing anything else for them? If that is what their mindset is,
isn’t asking them to participate in cryonics like asking them to
participate in the activities of morticians preparing bodies for
funerals? At least that’s how they would see it, right?
Steve Bridge Replies:
Yes, that is certainly part of the problem; but that is the part of the problem that we already understand. “Dead is Dead” has been the rigid misunderstanding of most people in all fields for centuries at least, in spite of frequent cases in contemporary medicine where the label of “dead” was misapplied. However, most of the medical professionals who DO understand this point still do not get involved in helping with cryopreservation procedures or research. We need to understand how to break through that next level of resistance.
Jennifer Chapman also comments:
Thank you for your comments. Cryonics does require a shift in the
perception of death. A person who has a heart attack and is “dead” in the
clinical sense but is revived using CPR or a defibrillator was not dead at
all. If medical professionals are willing to reconsider the standard
definition of death used today, they may also see cryonics patients as
potentially viable, only farther in the future.
Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have opportunities for Physicians, licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation is on a contractual basis. You’ll be given cryonics training enabling you to participate in our patient rescue and transport cases. Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to join our team. We welcome your expertise and interest. Send your resume to:
Our training session in Florida was well-attended, with the entire staff of Suspended Animation and other local cryonicists bringing the number of students to fifteen. Course curriculum included our biohazard and communicable disease lecture, airway management (including Combi-tube), medications, intraosseous IV placement training, and manual cardiopulmonary support practice.
Our next stabilization training session will be held in the Los Angeles area later this month (August 19-20). We’ll be training both old and new members of Alcor’s transport team, and hope to see an expansion of individuals available for standbys and stabilizations.
Anyone interested in attending should contact our Readiness Coordinator, Michelle Fry ().
Alcor News, July 2006
Your source for insider’s info July 2006, #53
Alcor Welcomes Intern Chana Williford
Chana Williford will be working as an intern at Alcor for a few months to build a whole body vitrification laboratory. Chana attends school in Texas and has a B.S. in Psychology, a M.S. in Cognition and Neuroscience and is working towards her Ph.D. in Neurophysiology at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has taught there as an assistant instructor in neuroscience lab methods and has worked as a research assistant in a variety of laboratory environments. She will utilize her experience conducting experiments and writing supporting documentation to establish Alcor’s lab.
REGISTER TODAY for the 6th Alcor Conference
An Inside Look at the Science and Medicine of Tomorrow. Registration is now open for the 6th Alcor Conference being held at the Scottsdale Marriott in Arizona from October 6-8. The early rate of $295 is only in effect for a few more weeks! Register by August 1. Visit www.alcor.org to register. Check the website regularly for full conference details and updates. [JC] REGISTER NOW
Robert A. Freitas Jr. Research Grant
In Cryonics Magazine Spring 2006, there was an article about the theoretical engineering work on nanomedicine being conducted by Robert A. Freitas Jr., which was supported in part by a grant from Alcor in 2004. The Alcor Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has voted to make another $20,000 grant to Dr. Freitas. Dr. Freitas is doing work that is directly related to the problem of repairing and reviving Alcor’s most damaged patients. While this is still in the very early stages, Alcor feels a small investment now can make a big difference later. You can learn more and read a free copy of the first two volumes of Dr. Freitas’ multipart book “Nanomedicine” by visiting www.nanomedicine.com. [SVS]
Vitrification Rediscovered?
Alcor has received many questions about a press release issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS) entitled, “Slow-frozen people, latest research supports possibility of cryopreservation.” The press release, which received significant media attention when United Press International (UPI) picked up the story, was based on a scientific paper by Anatoli Bogdan of the University of Helsinki that appeared in the July 6th issue of the ACS Journal of Physical Chemistry B. The paper described vitrification of microscopic droplets of water using sulfuric acid(!) as a cryoprotectant. While the paper contains some interesting technical observations, the “breakthrough” announced in the press release was merely a restatement of the physical principles of ice avoidance by vitrification as already known and used in cryobiology for decades. Alcor itself has been using “glassy water” or “low-density amorphous ice” (aka vitrification) to avoid physical damage from ice during brain cryopreservation since the turn of the century.
Even if the idea of vitrification isn’t new, it is still gratifying to see it thrust into public awareness, and its relevance to cryonics recognized. In the press release, Dr. Bodgan said, “It may seem fantastic, but the fact that in aqueous solution, [the] water component can be slowly supercooled to the glassy state and warmed back without the crystallization implies that, in principle, if the suitable cryoprotectant is created, cells in plants and living matter could withstand a large supercooling and survive.” We couldn’t agree more. With continuing progress in reducing toxicity of cryoprotectants used for vitrification, we expect that it will be possible to reversibly vitrify larger and larger organs in years to come, and perhaps eventually the whole human body. [BW]
Research Update
Repairs are completed on Alcor’s differential scanning calorimeter (DSC-7), and the software necessary to operate the device has been purchased. This unit will be used in nucleation mapping of the M22 cryoprotectant to determine the temperatures and cooling/warming rates that cause ice to form. The Planer, a controlled-rate freezer, has also been repaired. This is used for carefully controlling the temperature of biological samples and is important to upcoming research.
Setup of Alcor’s research library has begun. With the recent acquisition of new journal subscriptions and a general lack of accessibility when it comes to books and magazines, the useful materials needed to be consolidated in one place.
This month has been a busy one for improvements in both research and clinical response. The remote stabilization kits which Alcor takes into the field when responding to emergencies have been reorganized to streamline them considerably. These kits are also used during training sessions and will be easier to use ease in training demonstrations.
Dr. Sergey Sheleg, Senior Research Scientist, is discussing experimental details with scientists at 21st Century Medicine in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. He obtained the M22 fixative to repeat his M22 brain vitrification experiments and obtain electron microscopy images of the vitrified brain. Dr. Sheleg also worked with Dr. Stephen Coons (Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ) on a manuscript dealing with morphological changes in neurons during prolonged brain normothermic anoxia. [TJ, SSH]
Training Dates: Florida & Texas
Florida: July 22 & 23 at Suspended Animation Inc in Boynton Beach
Texas: September 23 & 24 at the home of an Alcor member in Austin
The Saturday training session will be from 8am-5pm on the above weekends. The Sunday training will be a half-day session followed by a Sunday evening party for local members and supporters who have sent an RSVP. Announcements with exact times and locations will be sent separately.
Alcor training sessions are given throughout the year in a variety of locations for the purpose of training individuals to perform cryopreservation stabilization and transport procedures. Following training, you will become a member of the Regional Transport Team in your area and may be contacted if an Alcor member needs help.
Training sessions are attended by one or more Alcor personnel and offer an introduction to biohazard and safety protocols, advanced airway management, cardiopulmonary support and blood washout procedures. Training also includes introductions to negotiating with medical personnel, families and medical examiners or coroners.
Local medical professionals and members of Alcor or other cryonics organizations are eligible to attend. There is no charge for attendance but each person is responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses.
Please email Michelle Fry () if you would like to attend either to become certified or just to observe. [JC]
Liquid Nitrogen Sensors
General maintenance has been performed on the liquid nitrogen level sensors on all patient care dewars. [SVS]
Marketing & Media
Tanya Jones and David Pizer were interviewed for an article published on the front page of the Tuesday, July 4th issue of the Scottsdale Tribune. The article offered general information about cryonics and Alcor. [JC]
See July 3 entry for recent news coverage about Alcor.
800 Members Strong
On June 30, 2006, Alcor had 800 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Six memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of five members this month. Join Alcor in celebrating this milestone. [DC]
Cryonics Magazine
Do you have an idea for Cryonics magazine? Are you interested in publishing an advertisement? Contact the editor:
Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 5, 2006, at 11:00 AM (MST). Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.
Employment Opportunities
Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have opportunities for licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation is on a contractual basis. You’ll be given cryonics training enabling you to participate in our patient rescue and transport cases. Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to join our team. We welcome your expertise and interest. Send your resume to:
Alcor United
Alcor members have a new forum where they can meet and chat with other members. Get to know other cryonics supporters in your area and around the world by visiting Alcor United (www.alcorunited.org).
Alcor News, June 2006
Your source for insider’s info June 2006, #52
Michelle Fry Joins Alcor as Readiness Coordinator
We are pleased to announce the hiring of a new Readiness Coordinator. Michelle Fry comes to us from a group of EMTs based in Laughlin, Nevada. She has participated in several standbys and one cryoprotection over the past two years and has a background in security. Michelle took the initiative last year to fill one of the main gaps in Alcor’s training protocols. She contacted the local Coroner in Mohave County, Arizona, and received training in femoral cut-downs (surgery to access blood vessels in the leg during blood washout). With her direct medical and pathology experience, Michelle is well-suited to step into the readiness role and learn the particulars of cryonics.
This hiring decision was made sooner than we had originally planned, because our Transport Coordinator, Bill Voice, was accepted to an accelerated nursing program at a local community college. For the next three semesters, he will be working part-time at Alcor while he completes his nursing credentials. [TJ]
REGISTER TODAY for the 6th Alcor Conference: An Inside Look at the Science and Medicine of Tomorrow. Registration is now open for the 6th Alcor Conference being held at the Scottsdale Marriott in Arizona from October 6-8. The early rate of $295 is in effect until August 1. Visit www.alcor.org to register. Check the website regularly for full conference details and updates. [JC]
Proposed Research Collaboration
Dr. Sergey Sheleg, Alcor Senior Research Scientist, is investigating collaborative projects with scientists from Russia. One possible collaboration with Prof. Natalia Gulyaeva, D.Sc. (Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences) will study changes in the cellular biology of neurons after vitrification. Dr. Sheleg plans to visit two Russian research institutions in October, along with Steve Van Sickle, to further explore the possibilities. [SSH]
Research Capability Progress
A number of laboratory instruments are being refurbished both in-house and at specialty firms. This, combined with the space that has been freed up by recent construction, has expanded Alcor’s research capability. [SVS]
Whole-Body Patient Transport – Nitrogen Shipper
Members of Alcor’s technical team spoke with the engineer responsible for the Cryoporter system, a sample transport system for cryogenic temperatures (below -150°C), about the possibility of developing a whole-body shipper for Alcor’s patients. Such a system might lead to significantly improved care for members far from Alcor headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, by allowing them to be transported at lower temperatures. The engineer’s team is preparing a feasibility study for the design work and prototyping.
Among the topics of discussion were the safety aspects of using nitrogen vapor on aircraft and the whether the design can meet the standards imposed by the National Transportation Safety Board. Commercial aircraft is still preferred for transporting Alcor patients at significantly lower temperatures.
If the design proves feasible and the prototype is built, it will encourage the subsequent development of field vitrification techniques. Though field vitrification is a much longer-term proposal, the nitrogen shipper would be an essential element to any such development. A vitrified patient must be lowered to and kept at low temperature (lower than dry ice) or else ice crystals will start forming (devitrification), defeating the whole purpose. Design of the shipper would need to be nearly complete before field protocols could be changed. [TJ]
Training Dates: Florida & Texas
Florida: July 22 & 23 at Suspended Animation Inc in Boynton Beach
Texas: September 23 & 24 at the home of an Alcor member in Austin
Both training sessions will be from 8am-5pm on the above weekends followed by a Sunday evening party for local members and supporters.
Alcor training sessions are given throughout the year in a variety of locations for the purpose of training individuals to perform cryopreservation stabilization and transport procedures. Following training, you will become a member of the Regional Transport Team in your area and may be contacted if an Alcor member needs help.
Training sessions are attended by one or more Alcor personnel and offer an introduction to biohazard and safety protocols, advanced airway management, cardiopulmonary support and blood washout procedures. Training also includes introductions to negotiating with medical personnel, families and medical examiners or coroners.
Local medical professionals and members of Alcor or other cryonics organizations are eligible to attend. There is no charge for attendance but each person is responsible for their own travel and hotel expenses.
Please email Michelle Fry () if you would like to attend. [JC]
Facility Renovations
Some minor renovations are continuing in the new suite occupied by Alcor (unit 105). This suite was secured for storing the emergency transport vehicle and will be used for preparing medical kits, perfusate, and surgical kits. [SVS]
Marketing & Media
Alcor has entered into a new retainer agreement with WalshCOMM, its PR firm since 2004. Their objectives center around services in support of Alcor’s 3-year marketing plan.
Tanya Jones did a 20-minute radio interview for Life Online. The show is hosted by Bob Parsons, the CEO of Go Daddy Software, and airs on XM and Sirius satellite radio. The radio station is in the Scottsdale Airpark and the producer has seen the Alcor facility, which spurred his interest. [JC]
Membership Growth
On May 31, 2006, Alcor had 795 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Three memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of two members this month. [DC]
Cryonics Magazine
Do you have an idea for Cryonics magazine? Are you interested in publishing an advertisement? Contact the editor: .
Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, July 8, 2006, at 11:00 AM (MST). Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.
Employment Opportunities
Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have opportunities for licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation is on a contractual basis. You’ll be given cryonics training enabling you to participate in our patient rescue and transport cases. Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to join our team. We welcome your expertise and interest. Send your resume to:
Alcor United
Alcor members have a new forum where they can meet and chat with other members. Get to know other cryonics supporters in your area and around the world by visiting Alcor United (www.alcorunited.org).