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Alcor News #51

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Alcor News, May 2006
Your source for insider’s info May 2006, #51

Barbara Walters Visits Alcor
Barbara Walters interviewed Tanya Jones in Alcor’s conference room on April 29.

This bulletin is sent via email to anyone who requested it. Please do not reply to this message. Send comments, suggestions, or complaints to the editor, Mike Perry, ().

Subscribe/unsubscribe information is at the end of this newsletter. Contents are copyright 2006 by Alcor Foundation. Authors This Issue: Jennifer Chapman [JC], Diane Cremeens [DC], Tanya Jones [TJ], Mike Perry [MP], Steve Van Sickle [SVS].

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]

Alcor Attends Singularity Institute Conference
Tanya Jones and Steve Van Sickle attended the Singularity Institute conference at Stanford on May 13 as representatives from Alcor. The conference featured such well-known futurists as Ray Kurzweil, Douglas Hofstadter, K. Eric Drexler, and Nick Bostrom. Alcor used this opportunity to interact with many Bay area cryonicists and to promote its own conference coming up in October. [JC, MP]

Media
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360: We do not yet know when this broadcast will take place. It had been given a preliminary slot for late April but was removed to make room for “the news of the day”. The producers have agreed to inform us of the air date in advance.

ABC News, Barbara Walters Special: The biggest media event for Alcor in quite some time happened Saturday, April 29, when Barbara Walters visited Alcor and interviewed Tanya Jones and several Alcor members. Intensive media training was held–both for Alcor and the members being interviewed–and we expedited several facility upgrade projects (including new frames for the patient photos and setup of our new Patient Care Bay and operating room). This program will air in March 2007 and looks at ways to pursue life extension to age 150 or beyond.

In consultation with WalshCOMM, Alcor is now being much more selective in the media requests it accommodates. Several requests have been turned down, largely because they are from remote parts of the world. [JC]

Outreach: Entrepreneur’s Organization
Alcor has accepted an invitation to speak about cryonics for the Arizona chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (http://www.eonetwork.org) on May 30th. A panel will introduce the audience to the cryonics process, the future technologies required for revival, and the challenges faced. This is our first speaking engagement this year. Tanya Jones will also be speaking at the Idea City in Ontario June 21-23 (http://www.ideacityonline.com/). [JC]

Facility Changes
During the past month many changes took place at the facility. We expanded into a new suite, moved our patients into the new Patient Care Bay and relocated most of the operating room to its new location.

We moved Dr. Sheleg’s lab and set up an equipment testing station for the perfusion automation project. The perfusion automation project, recently approved by the Research and Development Committee, is an extension and rebuild of our whole body perfusion system. It is based on the lessons we learned after a year of doing whole body cases using the new M22 cryoprotectant.

A new lathe and mill was installed in our workshop. This unit will be used for developing equipment prototypes. Bulk fabrication will continue to be done by contractors, but Alcor can now provide working prototypes for replication.

We also installed a new multi-purpose network printer/copier/scanner, which is connected to our network. This will reduce our reliance on individual desktop units and limit our printing expenses.

The broken air conditioner over the old patient care bay was replaced. We’ve also taken the opportunity to repair much of the old, under-sized air conditioning ducting above unit #110.

Overall, the facility has a much-improved appearance, if for no other reason than we have more room. The entire staff worked to make this happen, and everyone has done a great job. [TJ]

Patient Photos
Most of the photos of Alcor’s patients which hang on the walls have been reframed and relabeled. The previous name plates referred to the “First Life Cycle”, which had garnered so many odd looks from visitors. Replacing it is a simple date of birth and date of cryopreservation. The pictures are now in standard matching frames, matted in archival quality material. [SVS]

Patient Care Changes
The vacuum problems with the bulk tank identified last month were fixed after we discovered a leaky valve. To replace it we drained the tank over the course of a couple of weeks, using the liquid nitrogen to fill smaller vessels during regular patient maintenance.

For several years, oxygen sensors have been installed in the Patient Care Bay as a safety precaution in the event of a liquid nitrogen spill. These sensors have been moved to the new Patient Care Bay, along with the connecting fan system. The system used to control the fill of our dewars was redesigned and a preliminary prototype has been built.

Alcor has two new Bigfoot dewars, bringing our total of these large patient containers to 12. [TJ]

Northern California Training
Bill Voice held a training session in northern California April 22-23. It went well, with 4 local team members attending. Training included our biohazard lecture, which is the first lecture each year for any group to ensure our team members remain up-to-date on safety protocols. We covered patient handling, sternal intraosseous vascular access, cardiopulmonary support, use of a new respiratory impedance device, and a mechanical ventilator. A full walk-through of the stabilization was then performed. [TJ]

Membership Statistics
On April 30, 2006, Alcor had 793 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Six memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, two memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of four members this month. [DC]

Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 3, 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).

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Alcor News #50

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Alcor News, April 2006
Your source for insider’s info April 2006, #50

Patients Moved
After literally years of effort, finally everything was in readiness and our patients were moved into a new, much roomier location in our building on April 19. (Actually, all but one patient, who was moved over the following morning, April 20.) A crane service handled the main details. Some half-dozen 9,000-lb Bigfoot dewars were gently hoisted by forklift and crane and deposited in their new location. This seemed a thoroughly routine task for the movers and was completed in about two hours. We are all pleased that the move was largely uneventful and our patients are safely placed in their new location (see photo). [MP]

This issue of Alcor News is coming out a bit later than planned due to a heavy work load over the past few weeks, particularly the move of our patients (see below). We thank the reader for patience and hope to be back on a regular schedule soon. [MP]

This bulletin is sent via email to anyone who requested it. Please do not reply to this message. Send comments, suggestions, or complaints to the editor, Mike Perry, (). Subscribe/unsubscribe information is at the end of this newsletter. Contents are copyright 2006 by Alcor Foundation.

Authors This Issue: Jennifer Chapman [JC], Diane Cremeens [DC], Tanya Jones [TJ], Mike Perry [MP], Sergey Sheleg [SSH], Steve Van Sickle [SVS], Website Working Group [WWG].

Cryopreservation Case
One of our members (A-1237) suffered a sudden cardiac arrest sometime during the night of Feb. 27- 28 while at his home in Ohio. He lay undiscovered until his wife checked on him at 9:30 local time on the morning of the 28th. Paramedics were called, and the Coroners office initiated an investigation. After some discussion the wife wanted to waive the autopsy. (The Coroner had a policy that any autopsy would be fully invasive.) Luckily this option was allowed and the autopsy was avoided. Toxicology samples were taken to assist in the determination of causes of death.

The patient arrived at Alcor at about 11:30 a.m. Mar. 1. With a delay of between 34 and 42 hours since arrest, there was no cryoprotection. Instead we decided to take a few moments to establish acoustic monitoring of the brain, a slight change from our previous protocol in this sort of case; cryogenic cooling then commenced. This is Alcors 74th patient.

Another case was expected soon for a new member who had signed up with terminal cancer, and discussions continued for several weeks, as we attempted to arrange the stabilization well. Unfortunately, all this planning was for naught: the member contacted us late in March to cancel the arrangements. [TJ]

Research Update
Alcor’s Chief Research Scientist, Sergey Sheleg, finished the research paper About autolysis of the CNS neurons based on research data from the research project Dynamics of hypoxic brain damage after normothermic cardiac arrest and will send it to the peer-reviewed research journal Pathology International for publication. The paper interestingly shows an absence of autolytic (self-induced) damage in the brain up to six hours after cardiac arrest at room temperature (20 C), but signs of apoptosis (cell self-destruction) appear after nine hours.

Dr. Sheleg also started work on a new research project. He will be analyzing the intracellular damage (damage within the cells) of brain tissue using electron microscopy. His analysis will compare tissues that were cryopreserved with different cryoprotectants (M22 vitrification, glycerol, and direct freezing in liquid nitrogen). In this way we can compare the quality of preservation obtained with (1) our new vitrification protocol, (2) an earlier method using glycerol, and (3) straight freezing with no cryoprotection. [SSH]

Tim Reeves Incarcerated
The sentencing hearing of Tim Reeves on March 31 was attended by Tanya Jones and Stephen Van Sickle. Convicted of embezzling some $177,000 while a bookkeeper at Alcor, Reeves must now serve 12 months in the County Jail, to be followed by 5 years of supervised probation, with restitution to be determined by a hearing in May. The judge allowed that he could participate in a work furlough program, provided he meets its qualifications. Reeves read a statement in court expressing his remorse and asking for mercy. He requested the opportunity to contact Alcor to apologize, but was directed by the Court not to contact the victims. He was immediately taken into custody to begin his sentence, though that was something of a formality as he is currently serving 60 days for a DUI conviction. [SVS]

Florida Case
Alcor has received the settlement paperwork for the long-standing case involving a Florida member who was cryopreserved in 2004. We get uncontested custody of the patient, the $100,000 cryopreservation minimum, and $77,500 of our attorney fees. This money has been deposited in our lawyers escrow account, and once we review and sign some final documents, he will be sending us a check. [SVS]

Alcor Conference Registration
Registration for Alcor’s conference on October 6-8 will begin in May. Check the Alcor website (www.alcor.org) in a few weeks to take advantage of early rates. [JC]

Alcor Expands
Alcor took possession of unit 105 of its building April 1. This unit, with minimal modification, will allow us a separate and dedicated space for storing the transport vehicle, building and stocking transport kits, building perfusion tubing packs, and mixing perfusate. All of the lab space we currently have and the old Operating Room will be used exclusively for research. This space in turn will include small and large perfusion labs, a cryobiology and biochemistry lab, and a laboratory instrument room.

This is enough work space to keep several researchers working simultaneously full time. The usefulness of this space is not just that it allows us to forego some planned construction, but it also allows us to substantially increase our capabilities. For the first time in my experience, Alcor now has adequate technical and laboratory space. [SVS]

Bulk Tank Now in Service
Alcor’s bulk tank (the tank that holds spare liquid nitrogen) needed to be repaired before moving our patients. Like other containers of cold liquids, the tank is a double-walled vessel with a vacuum between the walls for insulation. The tank was prepared and received its first fill of liquid nitrogen. Some further problems developed but these fortunately were not too difficult to fix, and the tank is now in service.

The 900-gallon tank will be important to our expanding operation and should reduce the frequency of liquid nitrogen deliveries while providing a reservoir for use, among other things, in patient cooldowns. [MP, TJ]

UK Training
Alcor held a training session in Peacehaven, England on the weekend of March 11-12. It went extremely well, with around 25 UK and German attendees. Members of both Alcor and Cryonics Institute were trained in the Alcor stabilization protocols, as well as a few non- members. We made the decision to train anyone who wished to attend so we could continue promoting the Cryonics UK team. Training covered many topics and included a full walk- through of the stabilization process with participation by a portion of the trainees.

We intend to make UK training a regular portion of our annual training schedule and will be upgrading their stabilization equipment at the first opportunity.[TJ]

Membership Statistics
On March 31, 2006, Alcor had 789 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Six memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, two memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of four members this month. [DC]

Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, 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).

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Alcor News #49 March 10, 2006

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Alcor News, March 2006
Your source for insider’s info March 2006, #49
Tim Reeves Pleads Guilty
Former Alcor bookkeeper Tim Reeves, in a plea agreement, has pled guilty to 1 count of Attempted Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices. As part of the deal, he will be incarcerated in the Maricopa County Jail for no less than 8 months, and following that will be on probation for a total of 3.5 years. We will be applying for restitution in this case. Sentencing will be on March 31, 2006, at 1:30 pm before Judge Richard Gama at the Maricopa County Superior Court, Central Building. [SVS]

This bulletin is sent via email to anyone who requested it. Please do not reply to this message. Send comments, suggestions, or complaints to the editor, Mike Perry, (). Subscribe/unsubscribe information is at the end of this newsletter. Contents are copyright 2006 by Alcor Foundation. Authors This Issue: Jennifer Chapman [JC], Diane Cremeens [DC], Tanya Jones [TJ], Sergey Sheleg [SSH], Steve Van Sickle [SVS], Website Working Group [WWG].

Cryopreservation Cases
Some further details on last month’s case: On February 6 we were preparing for the cryopreservation of member A-1356. She was to be transported via air ambulance to Arizona, but her heart stopped before the flight time. The southern California remote kit was nearby her, as were Alcor team members in rotation as a precautionary measure. Unfortunately, her decline occurred extremely rapidly. Upon pronouncement, only one team member was on site. He administered and circulated some of the stabilization medications and began surface cooling. Once additional team members arrived, the patient was sent to a local facility for blood washout.

Because of the timing, we were unable to transport the patient to Alcor until the next morning. Her heart stopped about 15 minutes after the Department of Vital Statistics closed, and the county did not have provisions for after-hours access. Our cooperating funeral director worked with the family to ensure the paperwork was prepared for immediate submission in the morning, including driving to the physician’s home to obtain a signature on the death certificate. Unfortunately, he filed for the wrong permit. This error cost an additional three hours in transit time.

When the patient, a whole-body, arrived at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, the open heart surgery was completed in short order. Cryoprotection began 75 minutes after her arrival. It continued through terminal concentrations, with the arterial, venous and burrhole samples being in close agreement.

Cooling was carried out in accordance with standard protocols, and the patient appeared to experience six cracking events during the temperature descent. She was transferred to a patient care dewar on February 23, 2006, and became Alcor’s 73rd patient.

Our second case in February was the sudden demise of a member in Ohio, A-1237. The 54-year-old gentleman with no known medical conditions died in the early morning hours of the 28th. His wife contacted Alcor after calling 911. With the cause of death uncertain, the police detectives contacted the Coroner’s Office. We discussed the possibility of a minimally invasive autopsy to establish the cause of death (information which is also of use to us). Unfortunately, county policy dictated that if an autopsy were to be performed, it would be comprehensive, compromising the cryopreservation. Furthermore, the autopsy would not even be scheduled until the next morning.

Because of the member’s long-time and strong desire for cryopreservation, his wife waived the autopsy in order to respect his wishes. The patient was released to a cooperating funeral home that same afternoon and transported to Arizona via commercial carrier. He is cooling now and is Alcor’s 74th patient. [TJ]

Research Update
The LESA fiber optic spectrofluorometer (see right) was tested using the Russian photosensitizer drug Photosens. Photosens appears to be a very useful agent for measuring cerebral circulation. This model can be used for testing different protocols related to improving perfusion in the brain during cryonics procedures.

Russian 5-aminolevulenic acid (5-ALA) photosensitizer was tested as a possible agent for a real-time test of tissue viability. The preliminary data showed that this drug does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier. The same experiment will be done using the lipotropic derivative methyl-5-ALA. [SSH]

2006 Conference Dates
Alcor has set the date for its 2006 conference: October 6-8. The location and speakers are still being determined. Registration will begin in a few months. [JC]

Transport Team Matters
We held the southern California training session the weekend of Feb. 18-19, covering biohazard protocols, sample collection, and the use of new devices deployed for stabilizations (intraosseous infusion and a respiratory impedance device). We also completed a stabilization simulation and held a debrief for local team members on A-1356.

Unfortunately, this was the last time we’ll be able to use our usual training facility. Our long-time southern California Co-Coordinator is closing up shop. If anyone wishes to volunteer a new location or has recommendations, please email Bill Voice ().

Three new team members are available in Arizona, thanks to Bill’s tireless recruiting efforts. Two EMTs and one respiratory therapist have been trained in the stabilization procedures and are available to participate in local standby and transport procedures. [TJ]

Media This Month
A record number of distinct computers visited Alcor’s website in February (30,270). Media participation this past month includes:
Zig Zag: The cryopreservation filming for this documentary took place in February as did sit-down interviews of Alcor representatives and members. The producers informed us that they intend to include Arthur Rowe in the documentary as a skeptic of cryonics.

CNN: As a result of the “Good Morning America” piece, CNN contacted Alcor about a piece for “Anderson Cooper 360” with on-air reporting by Sanjay Gupta, their medical correspondent. We expect this piece to focus on the medical aspects of cryonics and include a member interview. We will announce when to watch for it.

Scottsdale Times: Also as a result of recent coverage, a reporter interviewed Tanya Jones, took a tour of the facility, and met with David Pizer about his wealth preservation arrangements.

Nouvo (Switzerland): This is Swiss Television’s newsmagazine devoted to technology, science and communications. Alcor provided B-roll footage to show an example of a cryonic suspension facility in the US, while the rest of the report discussed cryopreservation activities in Europe.

Big Aussie Breakfast: Tanya Jones gave a 10-15 minute radio interview for this morning show.

ABC News, Barbara Walters Special: Alcor was contacted about a Barbara Walters Special to focus on how to live longer and stay younger. This piece is in the initial stages of planning.
Many of the above articles are available online (http://www.alcor.org/press/newsstories.html)

Membership Statistics
On February 28, 2006, Alcor had 785 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. One membership was approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three memberships were cancelled and two members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net loss of three members this month.

Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, 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).

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End of Alcor News bulletin #49 dated March 10, 2006.
©2006 Alcor Life Extension Foundation. All rights reserved.