Cryopreservation of Animals and Cryonics: Current Technical Progress, Difficulties and Possible Research Directions

Overview

Journal Front Vet Sci

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2022 Jun 27

PMID 35754544

Authors

Marlene Davis Ekpo

George Frimpong Boafo

Suleiman Shafiu Gambo

Yuying Hu

Xiangjian Liu

Jingxian Xie

Songwen Tan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The basis of cryonics or medical cryopreservation is to safely store a legally dead subject until a time in the future when technology and medicine will permit reanimation after eliminating the disease or cause of death. Death has been debunked as an event occurring after cardiac arrest to a process where interjecting its progression can allow for reversal when feasible. Cryonics technology artificially halts further damages and injury by restoring respiration and blood circulation, and rapidly reducing temperature. The body can then be preserved at this extremely low temperature until the need for reanimation. Presently, the area has attracted numerous scientific contributions and advancement but the practice is still flooded with challenges. This paper presents the current progression in cryonics research. We also discuss obstacles to success in the field, and identify the possible solutions and future research directions.

Citing Articles

Biostasis: A Roadmap for Research in Preservation and Potential Revival of Humans.

McKenzie A, Wowk B, Arkhipov A, Wrobel B, Cheng N, Kendziorra E Brain Sci. 2024; 14(9).

PMID: 39335436 PMC: 11430499. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14090942.

Structural brain preservation: a potential bridge to future medical technologies.

McKenzie A, Zeleznikow-Johnston A, Sparks J, Nnadi O, Smart J, Wiley K Front Med Technol. 2024; 6:1400615.

PMID: 39315362 PMC: 11416988. DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2024.1400615.

References

Guo R, Dong Y, Yin Z, Cai Z, Yang J, Ji J . Iptakalim improves cerebral microcirculation in mice after ischemic stroke by inhibiting pericyte contraction. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2021; 43(6):1349-1359. PMC: 9160281. DOI: 10.1038/s41401-021-00784-4. View

Mohiyaddin S, Nanjaiah P, Saad A, Acharya M, Khan T, Davies R . Suspended animation: the past, present and future of major cardiothoracic trauma. ANZ J Surg. 2017; 88(7-8):678-682. DOI: 10.1111/ans.14313. View

Leonel E, Lucci C, Amorim C . Cryopreservation of Human Ovarian Tissue: A Review. Transfus Med Hemother. 2019; 46(3):173-181. PMC: 6558345. DOI: 10.1159/000499054. View

Mhyre J, Ramachandran S, Kheterpal S, Morris M, Chan P . Delayed time to defibrillation after intraoperative and periprocedural cardiac arrest. Anesthesiology. 2010; 113(4):782-93. DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181eaa74f. View

Fahy G, Wowk B . Principles of cryopreservation by vitrification. Methods Mol Biol. 2014; 1257:21-82. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2193-5_2. View

Chiu-Lam A, Staples E, Pepine C, Rinaldi C . Perfusion, cryopreservation, and nanowarming of whole hearts using colloidally stable magnetic cryopreservation agent solutions. Sci Adv. 2021; 7(2). PMC: 7793590. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe3005. View

McIntyre R, Fahy G . Aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation. Cryobiology. 2015; 71(3):448-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2015.09.003. View

Abraham W, Robins A . Memory retention--the synaptic stability versus plasticity dilemma. Trends Neurosci. 2005; 28(2):73-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2004.12.003. View

Morsy M, Mostafa O, Hassan W . A potential protective effect of alpha-tocopherol on vascular complication in spinal cord reperfusion injury in rats. J Biomed Sci. 2010; 17:55. PMC: 2909177. DOI: 10.1186/1423-0127-17-55. View

10.

Ekpo M, Xie J, Hu Y, Liu X, Liu F, Xiang J . Antifreeze Proteins: Novel Applications and Navigation towards Their Clinical Application in Cryobanking. Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(5). PMC: 8910022. DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052639. View

11.

Minerva F, Sandberg A . Euthanasia and cryothanasia. Bioethics. 2017; 31(7):526-533. DOI: 10.1111/bioe.12368. View

12.

Konishi Y, Lindholm K, Yang L, Li R, Shen Y . Isolation of living neurons from human elderly brains using the immunomagnetic sorting DNA-linker system. Am J Pathol. 2002; 161(5):1567-76. PMC: 1850778. DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9440(10)64435-5. View

13.

De Winter G . Aging as disease. Med Health Care Philos. 2014; 18(2):237-43. DOI: 10.1007/s11019-014-9600-y. View

14.

Ran J, Hu Y, Le H, Chen Y, Zheng Z, Chen X . Ectopic tissue engineered ligament with silk collagen scaffold for ACL regeneration: A preliminary study. Acta Biomater. 2017; 53:307-317. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.02.027. View

15.

Rothstein T . Recovery from near death following cerebral anoxia: A case report demonstrating superiority of median somatosensory evoked potentials over EEG in predicting a favorable outcome after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Resuscitation. 2004; 60(3):335-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2003.10.007. View

16.

Underwood M, Bartlett H, Partridge B, Lucke J, Hall W . Community perceptions on the significant extension of life: an exploratory study among urban adults in Brisbane, Australia. Soc Sci Med. 2008; 68(3):496-503. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.11.002. View

17.

Fahy G, Saur J, Williams R . Physical problems with the vitrification of large biological systems. Cryobiology. 1990; 27(5):492-510. DOI: 10.1016/0011-2240(90)90038-6. View

18.

Suda I, Kito K, Adachi C . Viability of long term frozen cat brain in vitro. Nature. 1966; 212(5059):268-70. DOI: 10.1038/212268a0. View

19.

Chava R, Zviman M, Raghavan M, Halperin H, Maqbool F, Geocadin R . Rapid Induction of Therapeutic Hypothermia Using Transnasal High Flow Dry Air. Ther Hypothermia Temp Manag. 2016; 7(1):50-56. PMC: 5346959. DOI: 10.1089/ther.2016.0016. View

20.

Wei W, Wu D, Duan Y, Elkin K, Chandra A, Guan L . Neuroprotection by mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration is enhanced by local cooling infusion (LCI) in ischemia. Brain Res. 2019; 1724:146406. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146406. View