Human cryopreservation (also known as biostasis or cryonics) is an advanced medical procedure that puts a human into complete biological pause after their legal death. The purpose is to keep people preserved until medical technology has advanced enough to treat their cause of death and revive them. Cryonics provides the chance for patients to benefit from future technology and to potentially live a longer life than what is currently possible.
Basic info
Most deaths can be predicted by medical conditions and circumstances. When there are signs that a patient might be dying, we dispatch one of our ambulances with a biostasis response team. They usually arrive before death occurs, allowing us to start the stabilization process as soon as the patient is legally pronounced dead.
We cool the patient down as quickly as possible using ice and water. Then we initiate cardiopulmonary support (CPS) and infuse them with neuroprotective and anti-clotting medication. This stabilizes the patient, slows down the degradation process, and prepares the patient for cryoprotection.
We cool the patient down as quickly as possible using ice and water. Then we initiate cardiopulmonary support (CPS) and infuse them with neuroprotective and anti-clotting medication. This stabilizes the patient, slows down the degradation process, and prepares the patient for cryoprotection.
We transport the patient to our storage facility in Switzerland. Transport can take place by ambulance or plane depending on the distance of the patient to the facility.
At the facility, the cryoprotected patients are placed in a cooldown chamber. As quickly as possible, we cool them to −120 °C, where they will undergo a process called vitrification, which is a glass-like transition of the body. Following this process, we slow the cooldown to about 1 °C per hour to avoid thermal stress. Cooldown finishes when the patient has reached −196 °C.
Patients are placed in a pod, which is then placed in a cryogenic dewar filled with liquid nitrogen. Here they are stored indefinitely, with no electricity required. The liquid nitrogen is regularly refilled by the on-site team or an automated system.
More and more people are unwilling to accept death from causes that might be solved when technology and medicine advances. Cryonics is the best hope for life extension in the future.
Today’s incurable disease might be curable in the future. Human cryopreservation is your best change for a revival and cure once medicine has sufficiently advanced.
Some of our members are simply curious to see the world of the future. What wonders will be brought on by great advancements in fields like space travel, robotics, and consciousness?
Of all the possible careers, hobbies, cultures, and lifestyles that exist, there are very few that can be explored in an 80-year life span. What free time activities and interesting topics have you given up exploring because you didn’t feel there was enough time?
As scientists have gained a greater understanding of biology, it has become clear that diseases and aging are not inevitabilities but problems that science can solve. For those, who are excited to be a part of the future and live extended lives, cryopreservation is the best option.
While the revival of cryopreserved patients is not yet possible there is no fundamental reason why it isn’t achievable. Many medical procedures that were unimaginable in the past are standard practice today. Here is some of the scientific research that indicates it might be possible.
How do you ensure long-term patient security?
For maximum long-term stability our patients are stored with a non-profit organization in Switzerland called the European Biostasis Foundation. Cryopreservation funds are managed by a Patient Care Trust which invests in very low risk investments (such as government bonds) to cover the running costs of keeping patients cryopreserved.
How do you ensure long-term patient security?
For maximum long-term stability our patients are stored with a non-profit organization in Switzerland called the European Biostasis Foundation. Cryopreservation funds are managed by a Patient Care Trust which invests in very low risk investments (such as government bonds) to cover the running costs of keeping patients cryopreserved.
Researchers have cryopreserved and then revived small animals called “Caenorhabditis elegans” with their memories intact. While humans are more complex, this shows that the components necessary for life and memory can be recovered after cryopreservation.
We’re actively researching and developing advanced human cryopreservation technologies to increase your chance for future revival.
No. Anything that requires future technology to succeed cannot be guaranteed. Currently there is no known biological reason why revival of cryopreserved patients is impossible, but nevertheless cryopreservation can only provide a chance for life extension, not a guarantee.
Our cryopreservation plans were carefully constructed with the long-term security of patients in mind, so they would be unaffected if Tomorrow were to cease operations. Tomorrow’s cryopreserved patients are stored at the European Biostasis Foundation (EBF) in Switzerland. EBF is a non-profit organization with complete financial independence. The funds to keep patients cryopreserved are managed by a patient care trust which is a non-profit private benefit organization. This means that cryopreserved patients would not be affected if Tomorrow ever ceased its operations.
