Alcor News

Where: Terasem Central in Melbourne, Central East coast of Florida

When: April 9, 10, 11, 2010-- Schedule to be available late February.

Cryonics technology is more advanced than even most signed up cryonicists realize.

Most people in the scientific community do not realize what progress has been made and most cryonicists do not realize the protocols and technologies that have been developed in the service of making cryonics a true "evidence based technology."

Details of cryonics protocols, procedures, and logistics from start to finish --Confirmed presenters include Alcor Life Extension Foundation Transport Coordinator - Aaron Drake; Cryonics Institute President - Ben Best; and Suspended Animation, Inc. General Manager - Catherine Baldwin. Suspended Animation, Inc. protocols and technologies are now available for members of both CI and Alcor.

Continue reading "The Cryonics Technology Progress Conference" »

Posted by D'Bora at 6:39 PM | Permalink

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit scientific and research organization, currently has an immediate opening for a Technical Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Technical Coordinator is responsible for maintaining and operating equipment necessary to perform cryopreservation of humans in the field of cryonics. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of cryonics. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.

At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so that advanced future medical technology might be able to restore the individual to good health. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Technical Coordinator will be responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure required to perform human cryopreservation and related research at Alcor's cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. Specialized and custom-built equipment used by Alcor includes:

* Cardiopulmonary and cryoprotectant perfusion systems.
* Temperature-controlled vapor circulation systems.
* Automated data acquisition and process control systems.
* Cryogenic dewars and liquid nitrogen handling systems.
* Chemical handling and mixing equipment.

The Technical Coordinator will work with Alcor’s Research Fellow, Equipment Fabricator, and external Research and Development Committee to maintain and improve existing procedures and equipment, and to design, construct, test, and validate new equipment and procedures. The Technical Coordinator will report to Alcor’s Executive Director.

Continue reading "TECHNICAL COORDINATOR" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:45 PM | Permalink

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit scientific and research organization, currently has an immediate opening for a Readiness Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Readiness Coordinator is responsible for assisting with the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics, and for maintaining logistical readiness for cryonics cases. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of cryonics. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.

At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so that advanced future medical technology might be able to restore the individual to good health. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Readiness Coordinator will work with Alcor’s Transport Coordinator in arranging and performing standbys, postmortem stabilization, and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor's cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Readiness Coordinator will also be responsible for purchasing, inventorying, and otherwise maintaining supplies and equipment necessary for cryonics procedures at remote locations and at Alcor’s Scottsdale facility. Additionally the Readiness Coordinator will participate in training and outfitting of regional groups in the United States and other countries who assist with stabilization and transport of Alcor patients.

Specification of procedures and equipment are determined in consultation with Alcor’s technical staff, including Transport Coordinator, Technical Coordinator, Research Fellow, and external physicians, scientists, and consultants. Supplies and equipment include:

* Heart-lung resuscitators.
* Patient ice baths.
* Patient cooling systems.
* I.V. medications and administration supplies.
* Tubing packs and cardiopulmonary perfusion equipment.
* Sensors, data logging, and recording equipment.
* Personal protective equipment.

Continue reading "READINESS COORDINATOR" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:21 PM | Permalink

Templeton, CA -- January 25th, 2010
Alcor received emergency notification that the mother of one our members had tragically died as a result of a house fire.

Apparently, a space heater within the home had caused a small fire. While attempting to douse the fire, it spread out of control and she was unable to contain it. We believe she suffered a heart attack and collapsed as she exited the home. There was some burn trauma to the patient, however it was limited to the lower half of her body.

While her son is an Alcor member and her former husband has already been cryopreserved, she had not actively signed up for membership during her lifetime. Upon learning of the incident, the son wanted to provide his mother with one final gift, and immediately began to pursue signing her up through a third party membership. This requires Alcor Board approval and has to meet specific requirements before a vote is taken to grant the request. While this process takes some time to complete, it was handled on an emergency basis to prevent unnecessary delays. Another obstacle to overcome, due to the legal implications of her death, was the medical examiner is required to ensure that no foul play had been involved. The son persuaded the medical examiner to limit the scope of the autopsy to an external Commuted Tomography (CT) scan of the brain. This satisfied the legal requirements of the county while maintaining the structural integrity of the patient’s brain.

In anticipation of being granted authority to receive the patient, Alcor deployed Transport Coordinator Aaron Drake along with the equipment needed to prepare and transport her back to Alcor. Since that county's medical examiner completes his work at the various funeral homes, rather than at one central location, the patient was maintained at a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the process, thus limiting the amount of ischemia that occurs in comparison to a normothermic environment. As there were no major airports near the rural community that could handle large cargo, the decision was made to drive the individual back to Alcor. Although the legal process was expedited, it became clear that enough time had elapsed that a straight freeze was the only option remaining, due to accumulating blood coagulation and loss of vascular integrity. Once final approval was given, the patient was packaged in dry ice and transported to Scottsdale, AZ.

Member A-2469 is now our 90th patient. A full case report will be issued.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:04 PM | Permalink

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (MT). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:24 PM | Permalink

The CEO Search Committee has selected seven applicants to interview. Out of the seven applicants contacted, six are available for interviews.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:23 PM | Permalink

Team Training
The Southern California Regional Response Team received a two-day training session in December. The focus of this session was to provide hands-on training with the equipment in their new response kits. These new kits are streamlined and simplified versions of their predecessors and the feedback has been very positive. Highly technical procedures needing unrealistic amounts of training and experience for volunteers to become proficient have been replaced with more fundamental tools and processes that even the most timid volunteer would feel comfortable in performing. A big thanks to Peter Voss and Louise Gold for providing the training location and hosting the CryoFeast that was held in conjunction with the weekend.

Watch List
There are currently seven members on Alcor's "Orange Alert" watch list. This list is comprised of members who are diagnosed with a terminal condition; who are undergoing a non-elective surgical procedure; or whose health is severely compromised due to an underlying medical condition. Frequent communication with these members is essential.

This "partnership" in sharing medical information, between the member and Alcor, enables the Deployment Committee to better evaluate the seriousness of the condition and to determine the appropriate level of monitoring and/or action by Alcor.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:20 PM | Permalink

Membership
Alcor had 913 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Seven (7) memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, one (1) membership was cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of five (5) members this month.

Applicant
Alcor had 67 applicants for membership. Four (4) new applicants were added, seven (7) applicants were converted to members and one applicant was cancelled resulting in net loss of 4 applicants for this month.

Information Packets
Alcor received 220 information packets were requested this month, 14 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 188 info packs sent per month in 2009 is compared to 173 in 2008.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Tampa, FL -- December 3rd, 2009
Alcor received emergency notification that a member had passed away, alone, at home.

A relative of his had become concerned with an absence of communication and requested assistance from local police to perform a welfare check. The family's worst fears were confirmed when authorities found the individual had passed away, possibly one or two days prior. As the family was aware and supportive of his desire to be cryopreserved, they notified Alcor. They also informed Alcor that police were taking the body to the medical examiner for an autopsy to be performed, due to the individual's relatively young age.

We attempted to contact the medical examiner's office to explain that he had donated his body to Alcor and that his release was a time sensitive matter. We asked that he be kept as cold as possible and explained that he did not want to be autopsied. We were informed that a full autopsy was likely to take place the next day, so we immediately began working with legal counsel in an attempt to avoid or limit the autopsy, especially with respect to the individual’s brain, and expedite release.

Alcor immediately sent Transport Coordinator Aaron Drake to Tampa to begin logistical preparations and to have a representative on site, if needed. The death was deemed suspicious and, after some consultation with the medical examiner's office, our legal counsel indicated the only way to avoid the autopsy was to obtain a court order. We proceeded to file our legal pleading and an expedited hearing was held the next week. While the legal proceedings took longer than preferred, our member was kept very cold through the duration. In the end, the medical examiner's office fulfilled the legal obligations of their office by performing only a limited autopsy that did not include the brain, releasing the patient to Alcor thereafter.

Suspended Animation relieved Aaron in Florida, so he could conduct the previously scheduled Southern California team training, and assisted in the preparation and shipping of our patient to Alcor in Scottsdale, AZ. Member A-2219 is now our 89th patient. A full case report will be issued.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:16 PM | Permalink

Cryonics Oregon is happy to announce a meeting on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010, in honor and celebration of Dr. James Bedford, the longest cryopreserved human (who remains preserved at Alcor to this day!).

Please join them at Carafe Bistro (http://www.carafebistro.com/) in downtown Portland at 7:30 p.m. for wine, fantastic food, and, of course, enjoyable company and conversation.

Due to the location of this event, an accurate headcount is absolutely necessary for our reservation, so PLEASE RSVP as soon as possible! Email Chana de Wolf at chana.de.wolf@gmail.com or call her at 503-756-0864 and let her know how many will be in your group.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:06 PM | Permalink

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, 2010, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (MST). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:10 PM | Permalink

The CEO Search Committee has received quite a number of applications and resumes. They are still receiving inquires on a regular basis and are continuing to review them as they come in. They have, however, set aside names of applicants they would like to interview in the near future.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:09 PM | Permalink

Team Training
There will be a team training session in Scottsdale, Arizona on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 3:00 pm at the Alcor facility. Please contact Aaron Drake at aaron@alcor.org if you would like to attend the training session.
A CryoFeast will follow the training session at 7:00 pm. This will be a potluck dinner at a nearby home of an Alcor member. Please contact Bonnie Magee at bonnie@alcor.org for the address, directions and to RSVP for the potluck CryoFeast!

Readiness Kits and Supplies
All new supply kits were shipped to the Southern California Regional Response Team for their December 12th and 13th team training.

The remainder of the readiness supplies have been ordered, received and now sent to the Texas and Northern California teams to complete their response kits. Coupled with each Regional Response Team's training sessions will be the delivery of the team's new response kits. This will ensure consistency in preparedness. Each team will have identical kits and be similarly trained.

Recent Pet Cryopreservation
At the beginning of the month, we performed a pet cryopreservation (P-040) for an Alcor member. The pet was hand-delivered by its owner, who drove from Texas to Arizona.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:05 PM | Permalink

Membership
Alcor had 908 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four (4) memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, two (2) memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of two (2) members this month.

Applicant
Alcor had 71 applicants for membership. Six (6) new applicants were added, four (4) applicants were converted to members and no applicants were cancelled resulting in a net gain of two (2) applicants for this month.

Info Pack
Alcor received 324 info pack requests. Seven (7) were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 182 info packs sent per month in 2009 is compared to 173 in 2008.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:02 PM | Permalink

As the year comes to a close, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of our supporters during 2009. The success of our mission truly relies upon you.

One of the primary ways our members support the organization is through the payment of membership dues. Alcor charges membership dues to support the advancement of its programs and to help defray the costs of equipment and supplies, administrative expenses, professional services, and other similar expenses. Alcor’s last dues increase was eight years ago, in 2002. Since then, the CPI-U (a frequently cited measure of inflation) has increased by nearly 20%. Alcor's expense budget has accommodated this significant increase in general cost levels without any corresponding increase in revenue from member dues.

In light of this, and considering the need to address Alcor's current operating budget deficit, the Alcor board of directors approved a 20% dues increase effective January 2010. Comprehensive Member Standby charges and Life Member dues remain unchanged.

See our updated fee schedule (III. Membership Dues), which will apply as of January 2010.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:42 PM | Permalink

Membership
Alcor currently has 906 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four (4) memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three (3) memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of one (1) member this month.

Applicant
Alcor has 69 applicants for membership. Eleven (11) new applicants were added, four (4) applicants were converted to members and no applicants were cancelled resulting in net gain of 7 applicants for this month.

Info Pack
Alcor received 324 info pack requests. Seven (7) were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 182 info packs sent per month in 2009 is compared to 173 in 2008.

Posted by D'Bora at 12:50 PM | Permalink

Alcor is continuing its efforts to enforce a confidentiality agreement executed by Mr. Johnson, as well as a judgment entered against Mr. Johnson by a Maricopa County, Arizona judge. A motion for injunctive relief is still pending in the New York Supreme Court. A decision is expected to be rendered on December 11, 2009. Additionally, Alcor filed through counsel in Maricopa County, Arizona a motion to hold Larry Johnson in contempt of court for violating the previously entered judgment. That matter is also scheduled to be heard on December 11, 2009. Most recently, Alcor retained counsel in Las Vegas, Nevada to domesticate the Arizona judgment preventing Mr. Johnson from continuing his efforts to violate the many, signed confidentiality agreements and Arizona court order. This effort was necessary because Mr. Johnson presently resides in Nevada. Alcor is hopeful the various courts will understand that Mr. Johnson breached not just the agreements he signed, but also the confidence he obtained under false pretenses. With these continued legal efforts, Alcor simply desires that Mr. Johnson adhere to his prior agreements, abide by court orders and stop the wrongful dissemination of false information about Alcor for the purpose of his own financial gain.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:53 PM | Permalink

Saturday and Sunday, December 12 - 13, 2009
This training is free and open to members of any cryonics organization, or anyone with a strong interest in cryonics who would like to join the Southern California Transport Team. Cryopreservations are helped by having local area cryonicists volunteering and working together. Attending a hands-on training session gives you the tools and knowledge on what to do and how to do it. During training you will get hands on experience with standby stabilization equipment.
Aaron Drake, Alcor Transport Coordinator will be instructing the training session.

Whether or not you are interested in volunteering for this cryonicist community, this is an excellent time to learn more about the process of cryopreservation. You will also learn about the stand-by process, what team members do, and how optimal cryopreservation is aided by local community volunteers.

Anyone interested in being on the Southern California Transport Team as a team member should contact: Michael Geisen at mgeisen@gmail.com.

Alcor CryoFeast 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 6:00 pm
There will be a CryoFeast following Saturday's training session. For more information, directions and to RSVP, please contact: Michael Geisen at mgeisen@gmail.com

Posted by D'Bora at 5:19 PM | Permalink

The Regional Response Teams play an invaluable role by assisting Alcor in providing localized response support for their fellow cryonicists. Whether an immediate response is needed due to a member’s clinical death or assistance is needed in the event of a medical standby, team members can rightfully feel that they are helping people whose lives can no longer be maintained by current medical practices.

We encourage Alcor members and volunteers who are interested in being part of a response team to attend local training sessions. Those who want to learn more about what would happen in the event of a stabilization and transport, or just want to meet and interact with other local members, are also encouraged to attend. Upcoming meetings are as follows:

Scottsdale, AZ: On Sunday, September 27, 2009, Alcor will hold a training session for the Arizona Response Team. This will be held at Alcor Central in Scottsdale, AZ from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.

San Jose, CA: The Northern California Response Team training has been scheduled for Saturday, October 10th and Sunday, October 11th. The hosting team leader will be Tim Freeman, however a location has yet to be determined.

Please get the word out to anyone that may be interested so that we will have strong regional teams!

To RSVP to the training sessions, please contact Aaron Drake at aaron@alcor.org or Regina Pancake at regina

Posted by D'Bora at 6:01 PM | Permalink

The next Alcor Northern California quarterly meeting will be October 18, 2009, at 4pm, in South San Francisco Bay area.

The exact location to be decided, please contact Mark at mark_galeck@pacbell.net, or (650)969-1671.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:16 PM | Permalink

Phoenix, AZ--August 9, 2009
Alcor was contacted by a member who informed us that his wife, also an Alcor member, had become gravely ill and they were traveling to Mexico for specialized treatments, in an attempt to extend her life. In the event that their efforts became futile, they intended to return to the United States and fly directly to Scottsdale to be near Alcor for the remaining days of her life.

Alcor’s deployment committee kept in close contact with the family along with her medical providers in the U.S. and abroad. Her physicians were aware of her cryopreservation directives and eventually determined that her time would be better spent getting closer to Alcor rather than continuing treatment and risk potential delays while crossing the U.S. border, after clinical death.

The family arrived in Scottsdale by Air Ambulance while Alcor facilitated her direct admittance into a cryonic’s friendly hospice provider in the Phoenix valley.

Continue reading "Case Summary A-2435 (Member A-2435 is now our 88th patient)" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:21 PM | Permalink

St. Louis, MO--July 25, 2009
Alcor received notice from an extended care facility that one of our members was experiencing a significant decline in health and therefore the family was in the process of changing the patient to hospice care. Alcor's deployment committee was actively involved in monitoring the situation when it was decided to have an Alcor representative at the patient's bedside to better determine when to initiate a full team response. Aaron Drake traveled to St. Louis to interact with the patient, family and medical staff.

Throughout the course of the seven days on location, we continually ramped up the level of readiness as the patient's condition worsened. Initially, the full team supply kit was shipped and pre-positioned. Then, two Suspended Animation, Inc. (SA) team members drove the SA response vehicle from Florida to St. Louis. And finally, we requested a deployment from Catherine Baldwin for the full SA team including perfusionist and surgeon to provide support as clinical death was imminent. The timing was excellent as the patient experienced clinical death within 12 hours of the SA team's arrival. The patient was subsequently flown to Scottsdale where a neuropreservation was performed. Member A-2420 is now our 87th patient.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:46 PM | Permalink

Colorado Springs, CO--June 7, 2009
One of our members, A-2061 suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Colorado Springs, CO. The gentleman had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years and had 24-hour home health care. At the request of the member and the cooperation of the home health care program, Alcor had pre-positioned a mini-medical support kit with instructions for medical professionals, to administer after pronouncement. In the event of a sudden and unexpected clinical death, these important initial medications could be administered, while simultaneously cooling the body with ice. This would accomplish a key first step in the stabilization process that would provide Alcor additional time to respond to the scene while maintaining the hope for a quality cryopreservation. Since this was the exact scenario that played out, our early efforts paid off.

The home health providers witnessed the member's arrest and acted quickly. Local paramedics were unable to resuscitate the patient and terminated efforts on scene. The Sheriff's office was able to assist in expediting the process of pronouncement which allowed the medical assistants and family members to begin Alcor's initial stabilization protocols. Aaron Drake took an immediate flight to Colorado with the remainder of the needed stabilization equipment. Upon arrival, he met with the funeral home where the patient was being kept in a 34 degree Fahrenheit environment. After completing the remainder of the stabilization in the middle of the night, the patient was packaged and prepped for airline shipment back to Phoenix, which occurred later that same day.

Continue reading "Case Summary A-2061 (Member A-2061 is now our 86th Patient)" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:43 PM | Permalink

Contacting Prospective Members
Several outreach initiatives are underway. It has been established that a primary source of membership growth is referral by existing Alcor members, so several board directors have begun proactively contacting prospective members. These communications have the side benefit of offering constructive feedback that will help improve the organization. For instance, one of the individuals informed us that the subscription process for Alcor News was not functioning properly. The malfunction has now been resolved.

Communications Committee
Another outreach initiative is the formation of a Communications Committee, also composed largely of board directors. Among other endeavors, committee members will participate in screening or soliciting media opportunities and live speaking engagements, identifying appropriate speakers, developing talking points and encouraging media training.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:35 PM | Permalink

Singularity Summit 2009: October 3-4, 2009, New York, NY

The fourth annual Singularity Summit, a conference devoted to the better understanding of increasing intelligence and accelerating change, will be held in New York on October 3-4 in Kaufmann Hall at the historic 92nd St Y. The Summit brings together a visionary community to further dialogue and action on complex, long-term issues that are transforming the world.

Participants will hear talks from cutting-edge researchers and network with strategic business leaders. The world's most eminent experts on forecasting, venture capital, emerging technologies, consciousness and life extension will present their unique perspectives on the future and how to get there. "The Singularity Summit is the premier conference on the Singularity," says Ray Kurzweil, inventor of the CCD flatbed scanner and author of The Singularity is Near." As we get closer to the Singularity, each year's conference is better than the last."

Speakers

Singularity Summit Program

Registration

Posted by D'Bora at 4:09 PM | Permalink

Membership
Alcor had 891 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four memberships were approved during this month, two memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of five members this month.

Applicant
Alcor had 60 applicants for membership. Ten new applicants were added, four (4) applicants were converted to members and two (2) applicants were cancelled resulting in net gain of 4 applicants for this month.

Info Pack
249 info packs were requested this month, 7 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 151 info packs sent per month in 2009 is compared to 173 in 2008.

Site Access
The number of distinct computers that accessed the Alcor website in each of the past thirteen months are:

27,071 May
30,845 June
23,794 July
23,087 August
23,083 September
24,261 October
23,218 November
35,020 December
35,741 January
31,625 February
28,479 March
29,313 April
27,819 May

Posted by D'Bora at 6:23 PM | Permalink

A mutual assistance agreement was signed with Suspended Animation, Inc. to assist the organization with the standby, stabilization and transport of its patients. This will significantly enhance our ability to deliver quality care to our membership. We look forward to working with Suspended Animation.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:39 PM | Permalink

There will be a meeting about Alcor and cryonics in the San Francisco Bay Area, on July 12, 2009, at 4:00 pm. Exact location to be determined later. Please contact mark_galeck@pacbell.net for details and what dish to bring for the potluck.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:23 PM | Permalink

As of April 30, 2009, the Alcor Patient Care Trust Fund has assets of
3.05 million dollars, invested as follows:
* The Patient Care Trust owns just over 75% of the shares in
Cryonics Properties, LLC, the limited liability company that owns the
Alcor building (all other shares are owned by Alcor members). These
shares (representing the Trust's equity in the Alcor building) are
valued at approximately $470,000 based on the original purchase price
of the building (they would be higher at current market value). The
Trust also owns the mortgage on the building, valued at about
$280,000. Alcor pays rent to Cryonics Properties, LLC. Since Alcor
does not occupy the entire building, there are additional tenants who
also pay rent, which provides some additional income for the Patient
Care Trust.
* Capital equipment (primarily dewars) and leasehold improvements
(capital improvements to the Patient Care Bay) valued at
approximately $610,000. These are carried on the books and subject to
depreciation, but are not assets that would be liquidated.
* A cash account in which income (other than investment account
income) is placed, expenses are disbursed, and money is transferred
to the investment account. On the above date it contained about
$200,000 but generally contains on the order of $100,000. In
addition, on the above date the Accounts Receivable totaled $70,000.
* An investment account held at the firm of Morgan Stanley,
containing about $1.42 million. Thus far, no withdrawals from this
account have ever been made.

The balance and investment summary of the Patient Care Trust Morgan
Stanley Investment Account is now being posted monthly on the Alcor
website. To read more, click here: http://www.alcor.org/AboutAlcor/patientcaretrustfund.html

Posted by D'Bora at 6:11 PM | Permalink

On May 4th and 5th, Alcor's transport team did a two day training in Laughlin Nevada for the casino owner's security detail who are tasked with being Don Laughlin's personal first responders in the event of his legal death. The Alcor team trainers, Aaron Drake, Todd Huffman and Regina Pancake set up stations for the employees to experience hands-on all the equipment that is utilized. After running everyone through the various processes and underlying theory, the Alcor staff members on the second day worked out several scenarios that would work with the help of the eleven security employees who volunteered for this duty.

The team then did a timed walk through of an actual transport from within the casino. It began with placing our mannequin (Manny) in one of Mr. Laughlin's penthouse suites, and went through all the way to how to get the ice bath/thumper unit onto the Lear jet. It was a straightforward exercise, and all that were involved rolled with the variables that any scenario of this nature can throw at a team. In the end, they now have a working ice bath/thumper unit deployed to their region, and all the new individuals on the Riverside Casino team feel much more competent in performing this service for their employer if it comes to that on their watch.

Posted by D'Bora at 7:30 PM | Permalink

Alcor apologizes for the substantial delays in getting the two remaining 2008 issues to its members and subscribers in time. To get the publication of the magazine back on track again, and to improve its contents, Alcor has appointed Alcor member and publisher of the cryonics blog Depressed Metabolism Aschwin de Wolf as editor of the magazine.

Alcor is determined to publish the 2008-3 and 2008-4 issues and 2009-1 issues in quick succession over the coming months. If you have any questions about the magazine, or would like to contribute to the magazine, please contact the editor at: aschwin@alcor.org.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:08 PM | Permalink

Membership Statistics

For the month of December 2008, Alcor had 875 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. 2 memberships were approved; no memberships were reinstated; 1 membership was cancelled; and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of 1 member.

2008 Membership Statistics
Finalized -- 72
Reinstated -- 3
Cancelled -- 32
Cryopreserved -- 6
Net Gain -- 37
TOTAL MEMBERS -- 875
ANNUAL GROWTH -- 3.1%

For the month of January 2009, Alcor had 876 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. 3 memberships were approved; 1 membership were reinstated; 3 memberships were cancelled; and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of 1 member.

Applicant Statistics

For the month of December 2008, Alcor had 62 applicants for membership. Eight new applicants were added; 2 applicants were converted to members; no applicants were cancelled. Overall, there was a net gain of 6 applicants.

2008 - Number of Applicants
January -- 55
February -- 64
March -- 68
April -- 67
May -- 66
June -- 68
July -- 67
August -- 62
September -- 62
October -- 61
November -- 61
December -- 62

For the month of January 2009, Alcor had 65 applicants for membership. Seven new applicants were added; 3 applicants were converted to members; 1 applicant was cancelled. Overall, there was a net gain of 3 applicants.

Information Packet Statistics

For the month of December 2008, Alcor received 147 information packet requests; 7 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. 173 was the average total number of information packets sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

2008 Information Packet Statistics
January -- 275
February -- 225
March -- 169
April -- 316
May -- 274
June -- 87*
July -- 136*
August -- 130*
September -- 95*
October -- 130
November -- 88*
December -- 147
TOTAL SENT -- 2076
*due to computer issues this number is lower than usual.

For the month of January 2009, Alcor received 148 information packet requests; 14 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. 148 was the average total number of information packets sent per month in 2009 as compared to 173 in 2008.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:22 PM | Permalink

Cheryl Knight from The Institution of Engineering and Technology visited Alcor and the Cryonics Institute and published a positive, refreshing and an in-depth article on cryonics. A science without a deadline reports on: the cryopreservation process; a symbol of hope; possibility of revival; ethics; skeptics; and clears up myths about cryonics.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:38 PM | Permalink

CEO SEARCH
Two applications for the CEO position were received and distributed to committee members this month. Sixteen applications have been received thus far. One candidate was interviewed by committee members and several board directors. In early November, the Executive Search Committee plans to discuss other possible candidates to be interviewed.

TRANSPORT COORDINATOR
The Transport Coordinator Job Search Committee has began setting up times and dates to interview several candidates who have applied for this position.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:36 PM | Permalink

Research and Development
Refinements continue on the whole-body enclosure for the vitrification system. We have been working to adjust the liquid nitrogen flows and temperature distribution across both the cooling stage and the patient environment. The testing this month included:

1. Performing a trial run of the cDAQ – 9172 unit from National Instruments.
2. Performing an extreme cold test of the redesigned and prototyped enclosure lid.
3. Gaining and recording data on the cooling efficiency of the table for use in fine tuning of liquid nitrogen delivery.

Research and Development Committee
Through a unanimous vote from the Board, R. Pancake was added to the Research and Development Committee. Other voting members include Brian Wowk, PhD, Steve Harris, MD, and Tanya Jones. The Research and Development Committee determines uses for the Readiness Grant provided by the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family, and Edward and Vivian Thorp.

Readiness Grant
LINK TO: READINESS GRANT
Alcor’s first use of the readiness grant was to help fund some much needed improvements to its stabilization and transport kits, which were featured in the August 2008 issue of AlcorNews. The funds were used to purchase the following:

9 new sets of medications, with assorted supplies for medication administration;
1 Michigan Instruments Thumper repair;
6 rescue baskets for the construction of new ice baths, with assorted materials;
1 box of arterial cannula for ATP;
Labor for construction of 6 new ice baths;
Labor for construction of 9 medication kits.

We thank the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family and Edward and Vivian Thorp for their donation towards readiness improvements of $32,639.68.

Presently, all the below first response teams in the field have fresh medication kits with up-to-date medications:

Alcor Central
Massachusetts
Northern California
Southern California
Florida
Nevada
United Kingdom

Continued work is being done to improve the stabilization and transport kits.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:27 PM | Permalink

Jennifer Chapman named Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer
Discussions between the board of directors and Alcor management regarding recent changes in Jennifer Chapman‘s role and responsibilities prompted the board to vote to change Jennifer Chapman’s title to Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, per the Bylaws provision that requires CFO to be Treasurer. Jennifer will direct the organization’s financial affairs and maintain its fiscal records, including evaluating and implementing internal controls, preparing budgets, producing internal financial statements, and overseeing financial reviews conducted by an outside accounting firm. Jennifer serves on the Financial Advisory Committee formed in July 2008.

Membership Services
There were a total of nine new members this month. Growth in 2009 is expected to be a substantial improvement over 2006 and 2007, although there is still room for improvement. Remember, cryonics grows the fastest when existing members and supporters talk with friends and loved ones about cryonics and Alcor’s program.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:21 PM | Permalink

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 6, 2008, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (MST). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:18 PM | Permalink

Southern California is having their annual Alcor CryoFeast on Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 4:00 pm. This year they are also inviting members of other communities in the area, such as life extensionists, futurists and singularitarians.

You are invited to attend and chat with other interesting, visionary, imaginative and farsighted people as they kick off the 2008 holiday season. Everyone is strongly encouraged to bring a dish and their favorite beverage. For the dish, please bring something that's not only festive, healthy and tasty but fun and imaginative! There will be a prize for the dish that most embodies these five characteristics.

The event will be hosted by David Kekich and Kat Cotter at the home of David Kekich, located at 1110 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, CA. If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP to kat@vfair.com or you may call Kat at 310-528-6712.

For directions, parking and hotel information click on the link below:

Continue reading "Alcor Southern California CryoFeast" »

Posted by D'Bora at 12:13 PM | Permalink

Singularity Summit 2008: Opportunity, Risk, Leadership
October 25, 2008, 9am-5pm, Montgomery Theater (San Jose, CA)

Headlining:

- Peter Diamandis, founder, CEO, and chair of X PRIZE Foundation
- Esther Dyson, influential journalist, entrepreneur, investor
- Ray Kurzweil, acclaimed inventor, author of The Singularity Is Near
- Justin Rattner, VP and CTO of Intel Corporation
- Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, initial investor in Facebook
- Vernor Vinge, renowned science fiction author

The Singularity Summit is the premier dialog on the Singularity. The first Singularity Summit was held at Stanford University in 2006 to further understanding and discussion about the Singularity concept and the future of human technological progress. It was founded as a venue for leading thinkers to explore the subject, whether scientist, enthusiast, or skeptic.

Continue reading "Singularity Summit 2008" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:37 PM | Permalink

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2008, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (PDT). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:26 PM | Permalink

Cart Caddy
We have recently purchased a necessary piece of equipment called a Cart Caddy for our patient care bay. Whenever there is a need to fill new dewar(s) with liquid nitrogen or to transfer patients from a cool down unit into a permanent dewar, the dewar must be moved into position. This used to take a minimum of four strong people to manually push the dewar. With the Cart Caddy, it is now a two-person job (one to operate the machine, the other to supervise). It is also a much safer and easier approach to the moving a dewar that weighs 5500 lbs. We have adapted this unit so that the crescent shape hugs the dewar firmly and allows us to maneuver it with little effort.

As our patient population grows, this small piece of equipment will become an important asset to our patient care bay.

Research and Development
The development of the whole-body system progresses with some changes to the user interface which will make the system easier to use and yet also provide more clarity on the data being generated at any given moment. We have also expanded significantly the note-taking capability of the system. We are at the point of final engineering testing for the ramp generation portion of the system and have yet to verify our 3-point calibration.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:12 PM | Permalink

Membership
On August 31, 2008, Alcor had 857 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Two memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, eight memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net loss of six members this month. Seven members were cancelled due to insufficient funding and one cancellation was due to member request. This month Alcor's membership agreements were revised to change the word "suspension" to "cryopreservation", the preferred term for describing Alcor's procedure. These documents are available at our website in the Alcor Library section.

Applicants
At the end of September Alcor had 62 applicants for membership. Two new applicants were added, and two applicants were converted to members.

Information Packets
130 info packs were requested in September, and eight were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 202 info packs sent per month in 2008 is compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:09 PM | Permalink

Tanya Jones and a local member were interviewed at Alcor for a documentary about ways people are attempting to live longer. It includes interviews with Aubrey de Grey and Ray Kurzweil.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:07 PM | Permalink

The Division of Math, Science, and Technology in
the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences is
proud to welcome Ralph Merkle, Ph.D., to Nova
Southeastern University as part of the college's Distinguished Speakers Series.
Dr. Merkle will discuss "Life, Death, and Cryonics" on Thursday,
October 2, 2008, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., in the
Miniaci Performing Arts Center. Admission is free.

NOVA Southeastern University (NSU) is located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Their web page on the talk is at:
http://www.undergrad.nova.edu/articles/dss/ralphmerkle/

Posted by D'Bora at 3:44 PM | Permalink

Dear Alcor Member,

On June 7th and 8th, 2008, the Alcor board and management held a 2-day strategic planning meeting at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. At that meeting a funding offer brought forward by board member Saul Kent was accepted by the Alcor Board after considerable discussion.

The funding offer was made by three donors: the Life Extension Foundation, the Miller family, and Edward and Vivian Thorp, who will each contribute $150,000 a year to Alcor for three years, totaling $1,350,000. The funding provides for searches and three years of salary support for a CEO and a Transport Coordinator, who will be responsible for the early stages of the cryopreservation of Alcor patients. The funding will also pay to improve readiness for cases at Alcor and provide a 10% raise in salary for three years for the entire Alcor staff.

The position announcements for the CEO and Transport Coordinator positions are shown below. Information about how to apply for these positions is included. Those who wish to apply can do so immediately.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Chapman, Chief Operating Officer
Alcor Life Extension Foundation

Posted by D'Bora at 5:21 PM | Permalink

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation (Alcor) invites applications for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Alcor is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership organization in Scottsdale, Arizona, that is the world leader in cryonics, cryonics research, and cryonics technology. The Alcor CEO will be in charge of all operations including the management of Alcor’s staff, which currently consists of 10 people in Scottsdale and consultants in other areas. This includes management of administrative activities, research and development projects, cryopreservation cases, and long-term patient care operations. The position will likely require periodic travel.

Qualifications for the CEO Position

It is preferred that candidates for the CEO position have the following qualifications:

1. Experience in successfully managing small or medium-sized companies that offer scientific and/or medical products and services. CEO candidates should possess an effective management approach that is consistent with Alcor’s mission statement and includes strategic planning, the development of a structured organizational system, setting and enforcing project deadlines, and effective tactics for conflict resolution. Those who only have experience in managing companies that do not offer technical products and services can also apply if they have a strong interest in and commitment to cryonics;

2. A good working knowledge of cryonics, cryonics practice, and the scientific evidence in support of cryonics. This includes some knowledge of the equipment, medications, and supplies used in the practice of cryonics, such as the portable ice bath (PIB), the air transportable perfusion system (ATP), anti-ischemia medications, portable cardiac compression devices, vitrification circuits, and the cryogenic dewars used to care for cryopreserved patients. Extensive knowledge of cryonics and cryonics practice is not a mandatory qualification for the position, however it is critically important that CEO candidates be strongly committed to the long-term care of Alcor patients who have been cryopreserved and the ongoing improvement of the methods by which new Alcor patients are cryopreserved;

3. The ability to work well and manage others well under ordinary circumstances and under pressure. Alcor performs cryopreservations about 2-8 times a year. These can involve rapid decisions with health, emotional, financial, organizational, and legal ramifications, especially when the patient and family have not made prior arrangements for the patient to be cryopreserved and are seeking to do so under considerable time pressure. The CEO will need to interact diplomatically with and educate patients, relatives, medical personnel, hospital administrators, and government officials. The CEO will need to know the legal basis for cryonics and be able to explain both the promise and limitations of cryonics in a credible manner. The CEO will need to have a commanding presence during emergencies and when coping with the everyday pressures of running the organization;

4. The ability to work well with the Alcor Board of Directors, which will be overseeing the CEO’s performance and the progress of the organization as a whole, and to work well with the other members of the Alcor management team;

5. Strong communication skills to help facilitate a positive public perception of Alcor and cryonics and to help increase Alcor’s rate of membership growth. This includes the ability and willingness to speak effectively in public, be interviewed by the media, offer tours of the Alcor facility to the public, and write articles for Alcor’s publications;

6. Fiscal management skills, including the ability to oversee Alcor’s budget, oversee annual accounting reviews, implement controls, communicate financial affairs to the board and membership, foresee and deal with cash flow challenges, and implement fundraising ideas to obtain both unrestricted and restricted donations and bequests to improve Alcor’s financial status on an ongoing basis.

Continue reading "ALCOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)" »

Posted by D'Bora at 5:14 PM | Permalink

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation currently has an immediate opening for a Transport Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Transport Coordinator is responsible for the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of human cryopreservation. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.

At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so well that advanced future technology can restore the individual to health. The stabilization and transport phases of cryonics ideally consist of rapid cooling, administration of medications, and cardiopulmonary support to protect the brain following cardiac arrest prior to transport to Alcor. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Transport Coordinator will be responsible for the postmortem stabilization and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor's cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale Arizona. The Transport Coordinator will work with the Readiness Coordinator on the maintenance of Alcor's existing patient stabilization and transport processes, ensuring that equipment is properly maintained for emergency deployment, field personnel are adequately trained, and that the highest quality of care is delivered to our patients. The Transport Coordinator will ensure that appropriate data is collected during stabilization and transport, and write detailed timely case reports. Once suitably experienced in our procedures, the Transport Coordinator will be responsible for improving our existing training regimen, updating documentation, extending regular training sessions for regional groups within the United States and overseas, and supervising the certification process for our technicians. The Transport Coordinator will work with personnel at Alcor and with external physicians, scientists and consultants to ensure that procedures reflect the best available medical and scientific knowledge. The Transport Coordinator will also perform the following specific tasks:

PREMORTEM RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Establish contact with Alcor member's physician or medical facility upon terminal diagnosis.
2. Track and assess member's condition without participating in treatment. Tracking may continue on an intermittent basis, in person or by phone.
3. Decide when the member's condition warrants deployment of a stabilization team.
4. Organize and maintain a Standby, often in a remote location, in which cryonics transport technicians wait to perform post-mortem stabilization procedures.
5. Establish contact with local funeral homes to assist in transport preparations.
6. Interact with patients, their family and local medical personnel to ensure the timely application of Alcor’s protocol after pronouncement of legal death.

Continue reading "TRANSPORT COORDINATOR" »

Posted by D'Bora at 5:00 PM | Permalink

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2008, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (PDT). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:54 PM | Permalink

Membership On July 31, 2008, Alcor had 863 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, six memberships were cancelled and one member was cryopreserved.

Applicants Currently there are 67 applicants for membership. Three new applicants were added, 4 applicants were converted to members.

Information Packets 143 info packs were requested this month, 7 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 213 info packs sent per month in 2008 is compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:27 PM | Permalink

On the blog Depressed Metabolism, Alcor member Aschwin de Wolf
has written a detailed technical review of Alcor's vitrification agent
M22. The author provides a history of the cryoprotectants that
preceded M22 and notes that the vitrification agent that Alcor
currently is using is also the state of the art in conventional
cryobiological research: http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/07/08/vitrification-agents-in-cryonics-m22/

On the same blog, Alcor member Shannon Vyff writes about children and
futurism, calorie restriction and cryonics:
http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/07/01/shannon-vyff-on-teaching-children-about-the-future-caloric-restriction-and-cryonics/

Posted by D'Bora at 4:10 PM | Permalink

Membership:
Alcor has 865 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three memberships were cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of six members this month.

Current membership demographics are as follows:
Males – 667 Females - 198
Members signed for Neurosuspension – 405
Members signed for Whole Body – 400
Members signed for OO or N/WB – 60
We currently have approximately 38 families (variation of parents and siblings) and 30 married couples

Applicants:
Alcor has 66 applicants for membership.

Information Packets:
Alcor received 274 information packet requests, 8 were handed out during facility tours or from special requests. The average total of 252 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:22 PM | Permalink

Research and Development
Our preparation of the new whole-body vitrification system is nearing the alpha testing phase. The patient enclosure has been tested periodically to ensure our design refinements are performing as expected. Changes include altering the configuration and flow of the nitrogen injectors, adding additional insulation, increasing the size of the plenum, and constructing a mounting platform for the circulating fans.

Readiness
Regina Pancake, Readiness Coordinator, attended the training session held by Cryonics Institute and one of our own in southern California. The focus of the southern California training was a review of changes we have been making to the medications kit. We have settled on a new design that pre-packages everything needed to prepare the medications for administration, and this design was well-received by the southern California team. It is simpler and clearer for the team members, and the few modifications suggested by the team are being implemented.

As part of the recovery process, we have been building new medication kits for the regions. We will soon be replacing all of the med kits in the regions with fresh medications and with the new packaging.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:20 PM | Permalink

by David Flude - CUK Organiser (edited by Veronique Struis)

On May 3 & 4 British support group, Cryonics UK (CUK) held their annual meeting as part of a 2 day training meeting. Both CI and Alcor members attended the meeting, which marked big changes in the British organisation. After 18 years as Training Manager, Alan Sinclair decided to step down as Training Manager, but he is staying on as CUK President & Team Consultant. To thank him for his long-term contribution Alan was made a Lifetime President of CUK.

During the annual meeting CUK introduced a new policy of involving all members in the decision making process and increasing the number of committee officers managing the CUK. The committee has been nearly doubled & the following officers were elected:

President for Life - Alan Sinclair
Secretary & Webmaster - Mark Walker
Treasurer - Graham Hipkiss
Membership Manager - Mark Willis
Organiser - David Flude
Team Leader - Mark Walker
2nd Team Leader - TBA

The officers gave their yearly reports during the meeting in which Mark Walker outlined his plans for new sub committees to empower ordinary members, Alan Sinclair highlighted one of the main problems with the current transport vehicle, Mark Willis gave a description of the new CUK Membership database he has created and David Flude suggested that the whole emphasis of the group should change to gain momentum from the Life Extension movement, rather than just as a Cryonics Standby Team.

Continue reading "Report of Cryonics UK (CUK) Annual General Meeting 3 & 4 May, 2008" »

Posted by D'Bora at 5:07 PM | Permalink

Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Martine Rothblatt, PhD have accepted the Board’s nomination to join to the Scientific Advisory Board. Welcome Robert and Martine!

Posted by D'Bora at 6:33 PM | Permalink

Research and Development
Our preparation of the new whole-body vitrification system continues, and we are nearing the end of that project. A punch list has been created for the automation, and we anticipate this portion to be completed soon. We have been modifying an old operating room table to support the patient enclosure, a task that became necessary when we expanded the plenum in hopes of improving nitrogen distribution for the cooling plate.

Dewar Maintenance Update
Bigfoot-10’s pump down continues, and it is at 10 microns (210 degrees C) after 1800 hours on the pump. We are estimating a June conclusion to this effort as steps are being taken to firmly deal with the dewar contractors to resolve the situation regarding the purchase of dewars in the future.

Financial Statements
Tanya Jones will contact the accountants to see if the massive amounts of data already assembled for the financial reviews of 2006 and 2007 will be sufficient to start the audit.

Administrative Statistics
Membership: On April 30, 2008, Alcor had 859 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Ten memberships were approved during the month of April, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and one member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of eight members this month.

Applicants: At the end of this month Alcor had 67 applicants for membership. 11 new applicants were added, 10 applicants were converted to members and 2 applicants were cancelled resulting in a net loss of 1 applicant for this month.

Information Packages: 316 info packs were requested this month, 15 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 246 info packs sent per month in 2008 as compared to 129 in 2007.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Alcor gave permission for The Tartan to use its photos for an article. Please note: They declined our offer to do fact-checking before publishing the article.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:59 PM | Permalink

On March 31, 2008, Alcor had 851 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Eleven memberships were finalized in March. We started emailing the applicants to forewarn them when extended fees are to be applied to their account. By giving them over a month of warning, they have time to finish their membership arrangements and avoid the fee.

We received 16 new applicants this month. We started offering prospective members the opportunity to complete their membership application over the phone. This time-saving option has been received quite positively.

We are pleased with recent efforts to increase the applicant queue. More applications have been submitted in the past four months (64) than the total number of applications submitted in the first eleven months of 2007 (51). Alcor’s free information package is also being requested by prospective members via Alcor’s website 215 times monthly, exceeding the previous yearly average of 150 requests per month. Also subscription to Cryonics Magazine has more than tripled in the last six months.

Posted by D'Bora at 2:37 PM | Permalink

We changed answering services this month. Our previous service was unsatisfactory therefore we have replaced it with a medical-oriented answering service that appears to be performing well. This service was in place when the calls started on the most recent case, and we are so far satisfied with their performance. One of the advantages to this new company is that we can listen to the calls after the emergency situation concludes, so that we can refine our instructions for them. A broader description of what kinds of information Alcor needs when responding in an emergency will be posted to our blog at a later date.

Posted by D'Bora at 2:32 PM | Permalink

The next Northern California Alcor meeting is Sunday, April 13, 4pm at the small clubhouse of Cypress Point Lakes Condominiums, 505 Cypress Point Dr, Mtn View.

If you want to join in the potluck, please bring some food to share, the popular potluck rule of thumb is “bring about as much food as you would care to eat were you by yourself”.

For detailed directions please click on the the link below:

Continue reading "Alcor Northern California Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:05 PM | Permalink

Cryonics UK invites you to join them for the Annual General Meeting of Cryonics UK. Don't miss this opportunity to socialize with like-minded people to discuss topics of interest in the field of cryonics, attend lectures and workshops.

Date: Saturday & Sunday, May 3rd. & 4th. 2008
Time: 10am-4.30pm both days
Place: 4 Mount Caburn Crescent, Peacehaven, E. Sussex, BN10 8DW
Hosted by: Alan & Sylvia Sinclair (For many years Alan & Sylvia have been generously providing Food & Drink, a comfortable place for the Meetings)

More information about this event and to RSVP.

To learn more about Cryonics UK please visit their website at: cryonics.uk.com

Posted by D'Bora at 6:05 PM | Permalink

ABC Nightline will air a segment about cryonics tonight, Monday, March 31st sometime between 11:35 pm and 12:05 am (ET).

Watch a clip of "Live to Be 150 … Can You Do It?", an ABC News Barbara Walters special, which air tomorrown on Tuesday, April 1st at 10 p.m. ET.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:01 PM | Permalink

“Live to be 150 . . . Can You Do It?” will air Tuesday, April 1, at 10:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

Don’t miss this Barbara Walters Special Report, which explores the elusive answers to living longer and staying younger. The report will include interviews with Alcor COO Tanya Jones and Alcor member Shannon Vyff who discuss cryopreservation. Dr. Aubrey de Grey also shares his theory for defeating aging and extending the human lifespan. Other topics of discussion include regenerating body parts using stem cells and cloning; calorie-restrictive diets; a “miracle” pill called Resveratrol; and aging gracefully. The show also brings a group of centenarians together to discuss their remarkable longevity and to clear up misconceptions about living to 100.

The show is featured on the ABC website. We encourage our supporters to educate the public about cryonics by respectfully posting on the website after the show airs.

Post a Comment on the ABC News Website.

Read Full Press Release

Continue reading "Update: ABC News & Barbara Walters Special" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:10 PM | Permalink

Wish you could have attended the 2007 conference? Don’t worry . . . the conference will come to you! The 2007 Alcor Conference DVD set is now in production and will be available soon! This 2 DVD set will include a tour of the Alcor facility AND intriguing presentations with Q&A sessions for the following conference speakers:

• Steve Bridge: Why We Are Here and Where We Are Going
• Brian Wowk, PhD: Common Questions about Cryobiology and Cryonics
• Stephen Van Sickle: Research Directions at Alcor
• Tanya Jones: Improving Cryopreservation Technology at Alcor
• Ralph Merkle, PhD: Molecular Nanotechnology and the Repair of Cryopreserved Patients
• Michael West, PhD: Immortal Cells: The Prospect of Regenerative Medicine
• Aubrey de Grey, PhD: Is it Politically Safe for a Biologist to Support Cryonics Publicly?
• Ralph Merkle, PhD; Michael Seidl, PhD, JD; Stephen Van Sickle; Brian Wowk, PhD: Alcor board panel
• David Crippen, MD; Tanya Jones; Leslie Whetstine, PhD; Aschwin de Wolf: Human Cryopreservation and Critical Care Medicine Panel
• Steven Harris, MD: Rapid Hypothermia Induction Methods and Brain Oxygen Requirements in Resuscitation and Cryonics
• Calvin Mercer, PhD: Cryonics and Religion: Friends or Foes?
• Christine Peterson: Life Extension: Good News, Bad News, Surprising News
• Chris Heward, PhD: The Kronos Longitudinal Aging Study: The Measurement of Human Aging.

For a limited time only receive your DVD Set at our special pre-order rate of $39.95 plus shipping and handling. Order online at: www.shop.alcor.org or call 1-877-462-5267 ext 101.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:34 PM | Permalink

Clinical and Readiness
A second ice bath for the new emergency transport kits has been completed. The construction of the liner will be modified slightly before making any more, because there are ways to simplify fabrication. The latest modifications to the general design have resulted in a significant weight reduction in the ice baths, which bodes well for the portability of our overall stabilization kit design.

Membership and Marketing
On November 30, 2007, Alcor had 832 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. One membership was approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, one membership was cancelled and no members were cryopreserved.

One hundred forty-four info packs were mailed this month, 6 were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 127 info packs sent per month in 2007 is compared to 164 in 2006.

Financial
Alcor interviewed several accounting firms and sent several bids to the Alcor Audit Committee. The board of directors accepted the committee’s recommendation that Alcor retain the firm Mayer Hoffman McCann.

New Patient
The Patient Care Trust has approved the acceptance of a new patient. The patient is brain only, and has been chemopreserved for several years. The patient is currently in cooldown to liquid nitrogen temperature. This is Alcor’s 78th patient.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:16 PM | Permalink

It was previously reported that Alcor is designing a new integrated cardiopulmonary bypass system for its air transportable perfusion (ATP) system. During cryopreservation cases, the ATP takes over the function of the patient's own heart and a heat exchanger in the heart-lung machine reduces the patient's temperature to a few degrees above the freezing point of water. Blood is also replaced with an organ preservation solution that is specially designed to support life at low temperature.

This ATP design, still under evaluation, has several advantages. For instance, it uses a centrifugal pump, which is significantly safer than peristaltic pumps because they make it much more difficult to create dangerously high pressures and are much less prone to passing massive gas emboli (air bubbles).

Continue reading "Engineering Development" »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:14 PM | Permalink

The year 2007 is fast coming to a close, and with it the opportunity for tax deductible donations to the charities of your choice. Now is the perfect time for you to choose to make out your end-of-year donation check to the Alcor Foundation. Afterall, it is the goodwill of our small community of supporters that often makes the difference.

Can't write a check for $5,000? Even small donations would make a difference for Alcor at this time of year. Just $100 from each one of you would significantly benefit Alcor's general operating fund.

It is through the generous donations of our members and supporters such as you that Alcor continues to progress in the field of cryonics. Your trust, continued encouragement, and decision to donate to the Alcor Foundation are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at the toll-free number (877/462-5267 ext 101).

Posted by D'Bora at 1:45 PM | Permalink

There will be a regular December meeting of the Alcor Board of Directors this coming Saturday, December 1. It will be held at our Scottsdale facility at 11:00 AM Arizona time. All are invited, and lunch is served afterwards.

Posted by at 4:32 PM | Permalink

Friends, Cryonicists, Futurists – You are invited to a CryoFeast and CatWarming party at the home of Peter & Louise Voss in Playa del Rey on Saturday, December 15th, from 3pm to 8pm.

Food & soft drinks will be provided, but you are welcome to bring some additional dishes and/or drinks. The party location is:

7828 W 81st Street
Playa del Rey, CA 90293
The Voss residence is a little difficult to find. Use this link for directions: http://www.optimal.org/directions.html.

Please RSVP to Peter at 310.822.4533.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:55 PM | Permalink

On November 3, 2007, Alcor elected Ravin Jain as its newest member to the Board of Directors.

Dr. Ravin Jain is a neurologist practicing in the Los Angeles area and also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He attended Northwestern University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in geology and integrated sciences. He received his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. At Baylor, he was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. He did residency training in internal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. His neurology residency was done at the UCLA Medical Center. He also completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular Disease at UCLA. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has been a suspension member of Alcor since 1989 and a member of the Alcor Medical Advisory Board since 1999.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Depressed Metabolism, the technical cryonics blog launched in early September by Aschwin and Chana de Wolf, now has its own domain name!

To receive up-to-date technical cryonics reporting, point your browser to: depressedmetabolism.com If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact the authors at: depressed.metabolismATgmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Non-profit organizations like Alcor depend on volunteers to improve the bottom line. Unfortunately, some of our most enthusiastic members live too far away to help out at the Alcor facility in Arizona. To rectify this situation, we are happy to announce the addition of the Volunteer Opportunities page to the website, which lists volunteer opportunities that may be completed remotely.

Please bookmark and check back frequently if you don't see an opportunity that suits your skills -- we'll be updating the list as projects move forward.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:18 PM | Permalink

We apologize if your name was not published in this year's directory. The way we approached it was to require anyone who wanted to be included to fill out a special form, which was sent in August. Although nearly half our members filled out the form, there were several who overlooked it.

Next year, we plan to do multiple mailings, so as to minimize the chances of the form being overlooked by people who want to be included. We also plan to allow people to give "perpetual" permission for inclusion, as there are several members who are very open about their membership arrangements.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Testing of several engineering developments is underway, including the Advanced Cryoprotective Perfusion System (ACPS), the patient enclosure, and the Air Transportable Perfusion system (ATP). The ACPS, which will enable computer control of the process of perfusing the body with cryoprotectants during cryopreservation, is being incrementally tested. Control code is in place for system calibration, perfusate flow rate, vascular pressure, temperature, concentration, and mixing reservoir fluid level. The patient enclosure, which will have the ability to cool a patient following surgery, is easily able to reach -110 degrees C. We’re cooling to -100 degrees C while the patient is still in the operating room because it reduces the patient’s exposure to toxic cryoprotectant at high temperatures. The patient will be moved for second-stage cooling down to -196 degrees C at a safer handling temperature.

Continue reading "Engineering Developments in Cryonics" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:51 PM | Permalink

Renovations to Alcor’s lab spaces continue. A new protective coating was applied to the floors, the walls have been painted, and new cabinets have been installed in the cardiopulmonary bypass lab, the large animal training room, and the dry lab. Countertops will be added next. Despite the disruption caused by renovation, Chana de Wolf was able to complete three surgical training sessions in preparation for her upcoming experiments.

Additional facility improvements, including a fresh coat of paint for the building and a new layer of asphalt for the parking lot, were provided courtesy of Cryonics Property, LLC.

Clinical Readiness
Alcor has redesigned its portable ice bath (PIB) and is in the process of replicating it. Some minor modifications are being made to the original design, mostly with regard to the choice of wheels and the upper railing.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:46 PM | Permalink

Peter Voss, Alcor’s southern California Regional Coordinator, has resigned. He continues to store the California emergency transport vehicle and stabilization supplies until a replacement is found.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:40 PM | Permalink

One pet cryopreservation was performed on a member's beloved cat in October. Alcor now has 33 pets in its care.

An elderly, long-time member in California suffered a pair of apparent seizures recently. He was briefly hospitalized and released after a period of overnight observation. After additional tests were completed, Alcor personnel visited this member in San Diego to assess his condition. The member continues to be cared for by a close relative and Alcor will monitor his condition through close contact.

Probate Matters: The A-1097 probate is nearing conclusion, and the executor is preparing to close the estate, now that all taxes are filed and paid. Alcor has been reimbursed for the renovations made to this patient’s property, which was bequeathed to Alcor and is on the market in California.

Posted by D'Bora at 11:09 AM | Permalink

The 7th Alcor Conference was held in early October. Of the paid registrants, 40 were members of Alcor and 43 were non-members. Total attendance was approximately 125 people, including registrants, staff, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, press and other special guests. A total of $14,500 in sponsorships was collected. The conference DVD will be professionally edited and pre-orders are now being accepted on the Alcor webstore: www.shop.alcor.org

Posted by D'Bora at 11:07 AM | Permalink

Approximately 85 Alcor members are over 90 days past due on their membership dues. Alcor is actively attempting to reach them for payment or payment arrangements. Timely payment of membership dues is required to remain a member in good standing.

The 2007 Membership Directory was mailed out this week. Alcor took the opportunity to include a form for confirming the correct contact information for each member, which is important for ensuring we can reach them in an emergency or if their life insurance lapses, etc.

As of October 31, 2007, Alcor had 832 members, following approval of seven new memberships. Five new applicants were added, two of whom applied at the 7th Alcor Conference.

Posted by D'Bora at 11:03 AM | Permalink

Alcor’s Tanya Jones spoke at the Foresight Vision Weekend in Sunnyvale, California, and an Alcor member handed out literature at the Calorie Restriction Society conference in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees at the Calorie Restriction Society conference are devoted to longevity, and two new applicants for membership with Alcor have resulted thus far.

Posted by D'Bora at 9:56 AM | Permalink

The fifth CR Society Conference will be held at Sunset Station in San Antonio, TX. The Conference will run from Wednesday November 7 through Sunday November 11, 2007. The Conference will open with a welcoming reception/registration on Wednesday evening November 7 starting at 6:30 pm. The presentations will start Thursday November 8 at 9:00 am and end Sunday Sunday November 11 at 11:00 am.

The Conference webpage:
http://www.calorierestriction.org/conferences-2007
Sunset-Station
http://www.sunset-station.com/home.html

Map of Sunset-Station and our hotels
http://www.sunset-station.com/abouthss/locationmap.html

Continue reading "CR Society Conference " »

Posted by D'Bora at 4:07 PM | Permalink

On August 31, 2007, Alcor had 829 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, no memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of four members this month. Currently, there are 712 cryopreservation members and 77 patients. Alcor has 38 applicants for membership. 155 info packs were mailed, 10 were handed out during facility tours. The average total of 119 info packs sent per month in 2007 is compared to 164 in 2006.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:47 PM | Permalink

7th Alcor Conference
Attendance for the 7th Alcor Conference is good at about 100 attendees, though not a large as 2006. The crowd make-up is very similar to last year, in that only about half of the registrants are already members of Alcor. The next conference will be likely be held in 18-24 months. Thanks to our sponsors this year, who contributed $14,000 in support of this event: Life Extension Foundation, Michael Fleischmann, Patrice Levin & Nigel Kell, Immortality Institute, Hospice of the Valley, Cryonics Property LLC, Andrew Popper, Novamente, The Longevity Meme, Betterhumans, The Calorie Restriction Society, and Rudi Hoffman.

Events
Alcor had a presence at the Singularity Summit held in Stanford, California, and Dragon-Con held in Atlanta, Georgia. Literature about Alcor was distributed at both events, and a panel presentation was conducted at the latter.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:44 PM | Permalink

As of mid-July, invoices over 90 days past due tallied nearly $73,000. This is believed to be primarily the result of having changed to email-only invoices about a year ago. After a mailing explaining the billing difficulties, the past due amount was reduced to around $50,000 by late-August. Incoming payments dropped off at that point, so collection calls were made to the remaining members with a balance over 90 days past due.

Alcor’s 2006 taxes have been completed. Interviews of several local firms have concluded and are final proposals and references are being collected for presentation to the board of directors, who will select the firm to conduct Alcor’s annual review and/or audit.

Probate Matters
The A-2309 last-minute case is in a state of limbo because of the lack of an executor for the estate. There is no one to carry out the decedent’s wishes. Several strategies are being discussed with our attorneys.

The A-1097 probate also continues. Renovations on the property bequeathed to Alcor are complete and the house is listed for sale at a competitive price. Our realtors recently held the first open house. Alcor was informed this month that it is the beneficiary listed on this patient’s IRA account and the funds can be distributed independent of the probate proceedings.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:36 PM | Permalink

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.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:32 PM | Permalink

Paul Battista would to start a cryonics group to meet on a regular basis in the Chicago, IL area.

The primary purpose for these meetings would be to provide opportunities for like-minded people to discuss topics of interest pertaining to cryonics and related fields.

If you are interested in building a sustainable cryonics community in the Chicago, IL area please email Paul at: pbatt72@hotmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:23 PM | Permalink

A new and exciting entity has entered the blogosphere with the creation of Depressed Metabolism, a technical cryonics blog launched in early September 2007 by Aschwin and Chana de Wolf.

The feasibility of reversible human cryopreservation is the feasibility of the sum of its parts and encouraging progress has been made in limiting injury to cryonics patients. Depressed Metabolism seeks to disseminate technical information and report new research findings in fields relevant to human cryopreservation in an effort to inform and improve the science and practice of cryonics. Brain aging, an important corollary topic, will also be considered in depth.

To receive up-to-date technical cryonics reporting, point your browser to http://depressedmetabolism.wordpress.com.

If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact the authors at: depressed.metabolismATgmail.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 4:08 PM | Permalink

A production company filming for Modern Marvels recently visited Alcor to film the facility and gather research information on the cryopreservation process for their upcoming program on the History Channel. While visiting Alcor the crew arrived just in time to film the transfer of Alcor’s latest patient from a temporary cool down dewar to a permanent dewar. The piece will also include a brief overview of the main steps of a cryopreservation process.

Modern Marvels Episode: Deep Freeze will officially be airing on the History Channel on Tuesday, September 25th at 8pm EST.

Here is a link with more info:

www.history.com

Mark your calendars and spread the word!

Posted by D'Bora at 1:00 PM | Permalink

If you are curious about what happens at an Alcor board meeting we encourage you to attend this event on Friday, September 7, 2007, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This a great opportunity to meet Alcor Board Members and staff who are in the area to attend the Singularity Summit. Coffee, tea, water and hors d'oeuvres will be available during the meeting.

This meeting will take place at:
The Metropolitan Club
640 Sutter Street
San Francisco CA 94102
415/673.0600
see map

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please RSVP no later than Tuesday, September 4 as seating is very limited.

For more information or to ask questions, please contact D'Bora Tarrant, Alcor Front Office Administrator, at 877/462-5267 ext. 101.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:35 PM | Permalink

Annual elections will be held at the September 7, 2007 Board meeting. This meeting will be held in the Northern California area. All Alcor Board meetings are open to the public and we encourage everyone to attend. Please revisit this blog later in the week for more details about time and location.

Special Note: Alcor representatives will be attending the Singularity Summitt in San Francisco on September 8 & 9.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:01 PM | Permalink

The next meeting will be the Annual Board Meeting on September 7, 2007. This meeting will be held in San Francisco, California. The location and time will be determined at a later date.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:20 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

- The whole body cryopreservation system is very close to getting the operational features in place.

- There are currently 34 applicants in the queue.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:19 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

- Two volunteers/interns from Mesa Community College Biotechnology program will start July 9th.
- Membership total is currently 827.

Posted by D'Bora at 12:11 PM | Permalink

This meeting will take place on July 15th at 5:00 pm. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to get to know others in the area who share a similar attitude towards cryonics and other related fields.

Meeting Location:
Peartree Apts in the Rec Rm
330 N Mathilda Ave
Sunnyvale, California

Posted by D'Bora at 3:48 PM | Permalink

Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month. Due to the 4th of July holiday, the next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 30, 2007, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (PST). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:36 PM | Permalink

There was a discussion of the following topics:

- Two Portuguese applicants’ insurance policies were approved.

- 2006 Conference DVD will be out shortly.

Posted by D'Bora at 3:30 PM | Permalink

Attention, Phoenix area cryonicists: Join your local monthly Cryonics Meetups to socialize with like-minded people, discuss topics of interest in the field of cryonics, and help build a sustainable cryonics community. The next Meetup will be held June 21, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome (no affiliation with Alcor required)!

For more information and to RSVP, please visit the Phoenix Cryonics Meetup Group at Meetup.com.

Posted by D'Bora at 5:25 PM | Permalink

This meeting will take place on Sunday, July 15th at 5:00 pm. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to get to know others in the area who share a similar attitude towards cryonics and other related fields.

Continue reading "Northern California Alcor Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 3:59 PM | Permalink

There will be a Board of Directors meeting for JUNE Saturday, June 2, at 11:00 am Arizona time. All are welcome to attend. The meeting usually takes one to two hours, and is followed by a buffet lunch.

Continue reading "Board of Directors Meeting" »

Posted by D'Bora at 2:44 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

Continue reading "May Board Meeting Results" »

Posted by D'Bora at 2:41 PM | Permalink

Alcor is proud to announce the marriage of research associate Chana Williford to Aschwin de Wolf. Chana and Aschwin were married the evening of April 7th, 2007, in Phoenix, Arizona. David Pizer, a minister of the Society for Venturism, officiated.

Chana and Aschwin met at the 6th Alcor Conference held last October in Scottsdale, Arizona. The wedding was held outside their native, hand-built stone home, bounded by the Phoenix Mountain Preserve park and 10,000 acres of pristine Sonoran desert. It was attended by both the bride's and groom's families and friends, including several members of the local cryonics community.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:04 PM | Permalink

We would like to welcome our newest staff member, Dr. Duncan MacLaren. Dr. MacLaren has completed his first week of work at Alcor and is diving energetically into our research.

Duncan has long been interested in curing aging. His life since 1980 has involved developing tools to find out how humans work, and he has studied several sciences from physics and chemistry to the whole-person biological level. Until recently he was focused on reversing aging and has had some success there; but due to a near death experience in his family, he has shifted his focus to cryonics, so that once the anti-aging field has matured, we can restore our patients to healthy, youthful life.

Duncan has Bachelor's degrees in Chemistry, Biochemistry-Biophysics, Chemical Engineering, Mathematics, and English from Oregon State University. In 1996 he received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCLA while in the laboratory of Steven Clarke. He co-founded Vivogen in 2000, a company focused on gerentology research and genetic testing.

Continue reading "Staff Scientist Hired" »

Posted by at 5:15 PM | Permalink

There was discussion of the following topics:

- Duncan MacLaren has accepted the position of Staff Scientist. More information on Duncan will be posted to Alcor’s website shortly.

- Joel Anderson is a contractor currently working on getting LabVIEW online for Alcor. LabVIEW is a computer programming language for instrument control and data acquisition, and is being used for automating our new advanced cryoprotective perfusion system.

- On April 5, 2007, Alcor cryopreserved its 76th patient. The patient arrested unexpectedly, so the stabilization and transport were difficult and long. Given this, the cryoprotection itself went better than expected, and we likely reached cryoprotectant concentrations needed to vitrify the brain. More details regarding this cryopreservation will be available in the near future.

- Several new projects are underway to increase applicants, members and streamline paperwork requirements for membership.

Posted by D'Bora at 6:19 PM | Permalink

There will be a Board of Directors meeting for MAY this coming Saturday, May 5, at 11:00 am Arizona time. All are welcome to attend. The meeting usually takes one to two hours, and is followed by a buffet lunch.
Location:

Alcor Life Extension Foundation
7895 East Acoma Drive Suite 110
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260

Phone: (480) 905-1906

Posted by D'Bora at 6:15 PM | Permalink

This current issue contains highlights of the 2006 Alcor Conference. The 6th Alcor conference has been called "the best cryonics conference" by Stephen Bridge, former Alcor president. The conference brought together many old friends, as well as an assortment of new faces. If you have not received a copy of this magazine and would like to read a condensed commentary of the presentations, please email your postal mailing information to dbora@alcor.org

Posted by D'Bora at 2:23 PM | Permalink

For a limited time, pre-order the 2006 Alcor Conference DVD set at 25% off regular price. Your DVD set includes these conference presentations: Brian Wowk, PhD: The Cryobiological Basis of Cryonics Ralph Merkle, PhD: Nanotechnology and Cryonics Robert A. Freitas Jr., JD: Nanomedicine: The Path Forward Aubrey de Grey, PhD: SENS: A Precursor to Cryonics Revival Cryonics Public Policy Panel ... And More! Plus, candid interviews of conference attendees and a guided tour of the Alcor facility. Order the 2006 Conference DVD Set.

Posted by D'Bora at 1:43 PM | Permalink

We have an immediate job opening for a research scientist. The candidate will be working in Alcor's R&D lab, assisting in research on cerebral ischemia, cardiopulmonary bypass, hypothermia, and cryobiology. The candidate will also assist in human cryopreservations and related tasks.

Requirements include a graduate degree and experience in biology, biochemistry, or other medical science. Candidates must have a publication history. Preference is given to candidates who demonstrate a familiarity with cryonics and human cryopreservation.

Alcor Life Extension Foundation is a 501c3 educational and research foundation, conducting research in cryonics and human cryopreservation. More about Alcor and cryonics can be learned at Alcor's web site www.alcor.org. Benefits include medical, dental, and 401k. Applicants should email their CV to employment@alcor.org.

Posted by at 5:49 PM | Permalink

Thinking of giving Alcor a holiday gift? Well, you can always double your money with the ongoing matching grant program. But if this isn't what you are really interested in, you can always find something at one of Alcor's Amazon.com wish lists:

Click here for the equipment list

Click here for the book list

Help filling out our technical library or purchasing much needed equipment is always appreciated. Plus, using the Amazon wish list system, you know exactly where your money is going. So while you are holiday shopping for a loved one, consider also getting a little something for Alcor. Santa will thank you.

Posted by at 5:45 PM | Permalink

We are sorry to report that Michelle Fry is leaving Alcor. MIchelle's official last day will be January 4, 2006.

We wish Michelle well in her future endeavors. She remains a part of our ACT network of volunteer and contract transport technicians, so her skills and training will not be lost to us.

Posted by at 9:36 AM | Permalink

Click here for mail in form

The end of the year is coming fast, and with it the thought of tax time and another matching grant for Alcor research. Last year, the Bina and Martine Rothblatt Matching Grant was a resounding success, raising $200,000 for research and development related to whole body vitrification. Now we have another opportunity for our supporters to help us in our quest for better cryopreservations. But first, I want to say a little about what was achieved with last year’s grant.

Continue reading "2006-2007 Matching Grant Program" »

Posted by at 6:21 PM | Permalink

We regret to announce that Dr. Sergey Sheleg is no longer employed by Alcor. Employment matters must always be kept confidential, so there is not much more we can say.

We wish Dr. Sheleg the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Posted by at 2:46 PM | Permalink