Learn what happens during the cryopreservation process, from initial preparation through long-term care.
Cryopreservation can only begin after legal death is declared. At Alcor, we approach this moment as the time for an urgent intervention aimed at a future where the causes of death may be reversible. This isn’t a conventional medical treatment, but a bridge to tomorrow’s medical capabilities. Our procedures, refined over five decades, are designed to preserve our patients in the best possible condition for future repair and restoration.
“Cryonics is an experiment. So far the control group isn’t doing very well.”— Dr. Ralph Merkle, Talk about Cryonics
Learn About Deployment & Recovery
Begin by completing your membership application, selecting your cryopreservation plan (neuro or whole body), and arranging funding through life insurance or other approved methods. Membership ensures legal, medical, and logistical readiness for preservation.
After joining, your medical and legal documents are secured. Identification materials are provided, and essential health information is collected to enable rapid, effective response when needed.
When a member is near clinical death, Alcor deploys a specialized standby team to their location. The team sets up equipment and medications to begin stabilization procedures immediately after pronouncement.
Following legal death declaration, cooling and circulatory support begin to slow deterioration. This includes chest compressions, administration of protective medications, and external or internal cooling to reduce body temperature.
Depending on case circumstances and membership choice, surgical procedures may begin in the field or at Alcor’s facility. Major blood vessels are accessed, and the blood is replaced with a cryoprotective (vitrification) solution to protect tissues from ice damage during cooling.
The patient is transported to Alcor’s facility and is cooled to cryogenic temperatures in a controlled, multi-stage process. As temperatures drop below the glass transition point, tissues vitrify – entering a solid, ice-free state that maintains cellular and structural integrity.
Finally, the patient is placed into long-term storage at -196°C in liquid nitrogen. They remain in this stable, vitrified state with continuous monitoring, awaiting future medical technologies that may enable repair and recovery.
As a research organization, Alcor requires formal documentation and quality review of every case. All cases are recorded in a standardized format consistent with regulatory and ethical guidelines, with findings subjected to structured evaluation and continuous improvement processes. This ensures scientific rigor, patient confidentiality, and compliance with professional standards while maintaining operational readiness.
Not exactly. “Freezing” implies ice crystal formation that damages cells and tissues. Modern cryopreservation (as practiced by Alcor) uses cryoprotectants and controlled cooling to achieve vitrification, a glass-like state with little to no ice, significantly reducing ice damage. In everyday speech, people say “frozen,” but technically, vitrified tissue isn’t simply frozen.
In cryonics, cryoprotectant solutions are circulated through the patient’s vascular system near 0 °C over several hours, gradually replacing more than half of the water inside cells with cryoprotectant. Living cells can survive this process when introduction and removal are done at low temperatures.
The most effective way of reducing delays and getting the highest quality cryopreservation is to relocate near Alcor. You should communicate clearly with Alcor about all upcoming medical procedures and current health problems/diagnoses, and make sure your healthcare providers are aware of your cryopreservation plans. Alcor has an emergency instruction sheet that can be given to your healthcare provider when appropriate.
