"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse," Walt Disney
The Lion King, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and
countless other classics are the foundation to many childhoods thanks to the
one and only Walter Disney. Although decades have passed since Walt Disney’s
death, many to this day still believe that his body has been cryogenically
frozen. Difficult to come to terms with the fact that one of the world’s
greatest innovator is no longer living it has become easier to believe that
there is a chance for Disney to come back into our lives. Walt Disney was
diagnosed with lung cancer which a month later lead to his ultimate death on
December 15th 1966. Although physicians removed one of his lungs in hopes of
extending his life he died at the age of 65.
This myth stems from a quote in the LA Times stated by
Bob Nelson, president of the California Cryogenics Society, in 1972 that,
"Walt Disney wanted to be frozen". Since the Disney family did not
have this confirmed in writing, they decided to cremate the body instead. When
Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, opened the Walt Disney Family Museum in
2009 she made sure to demolish the long-standing myth of her father’s frozen
body by stating that, “Walt Disney was cremated on December 17th 1966.”
If Walter Disney’s body had indeed been frozen at the
time, he would have officially been the first person to be cryogenically
frozen. It was, however, in 1967 that James Bedford was the first human being
to be frozen at the age of 73 and his body is currently being stored at Alcor
Life Extension Foundation in Arizona, USA. (G)
“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever," Walt Disney.
Introduction:
Alcor is the largest organization,
and distinguished among cryonics organizations by its advanced technology and
advocacy of a medical approach to cryonics. Cryonics was patented and practiced
by the non-profit organization located in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded
in 1972. Since 1967, over a hundred people have been cryopreserved and over a
thousand people have made legal and financial arrangements for cryonics with
life insurance affordable to each of these individuals.
Known for the 'Gaia Theory' in 1919,
James Lovelock was one of cryopreservation's earliest practitioners as he
suggested that red blood cells are damaged when frozen because of osmotic
stress. Later in 1950's, he stated that increasing the salt concentration in a
cell as it dehydrates through the loss of water to the external ice might cause
further damage to the cell.
Cryopreservation was used in the
50's to humans with pregnancies obtained after insemination of frozen sperm.
The rapid immersion of the samples in liquid nitrogen however did not for some
of the samples (i.e. embryos, bone marrow, and stem cells) produce the
necessary viability for them to be successful after they have been
thawed.
“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable,” Walt Disney.
Cryonics or Cryogenics
is the science of using ultra-cold temperature to preserve human life for
decades until future medical technology can restore the individual back to full
health. The goal of this procedure is to prevent or at least prolong death by
preserving both the cell structure and chemistry that give the body life and it
is only when scientific technology advances so that the patients of these
centers can bring them to life. The recovery process also promises to include
the recovery of the person’s memory and personality when they are revived in
the future.
The procedure begins when the patient enters cardiac
arrest. Next, blood
circulation and breathing are artificially restored, and a series of
medications are administered to protect the brain from lack of oxygen. At this
stage of the procedure, the body is rapidly cooled until it undergoes a state
of hypothermia. This step is very important because it protects and keeps the
brain alive if possible until the procedure is complete. (A)
“That’s the real trouble with the world. Too many people grow up,” Walt Disney.
Death vs. Hibernation:
Imagine hiking through a forest with friends during
the winter season and in the corner of your eye, a frog covered in ice crystals
catches your attention. Another one of mother nature’s great mysteries you
notice the frog sitting there motionless, not breathing, and no heartbeat. It
is only logical to assume that the creature is dead, however, it is also very
likely that this animal is a wood frog during its hibernation period.
Deer mice, ground squirrels, hedgehogs, bats, and
bears are just some animals that undergo hibernation (but each do so for
different reasons and different times of the year). This survival mechanism is how some animals have been known to survive
some of the harshest environments such as long cold winters. To enter this
state of energy saving, the mammal’s endotherm must first decrease its
metabolic rate which then allows for the body to lower it temperature.
When the body enters this
state of deep sleep (lasting from days to weeks to months), it is essentially a
state of complete inactivity and metabolic depression in its endotherms. Low
body temperatures, slowing rates of both the heart and breath in addition to
lower than normal metabolic rates are characteristic of hibernation. It
is also common that animals use hibernation to reach active metabolic
suppression rather than based on absolute body temperature decline (do so to
conserve energy or when food is scarce or unavailable). (F)
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,” Walt Disney.
Modern day advancements now allow human
beings to experience cardiac arrest and survive without any form of brain
injury. So, when defining ‘death’ it would not be correct to say that life has
been turned off because individuals have experienced their hearts stop beating
of lengths up to 6 minutes as it takes a few minutes for the brain to
resuscitate.
Successes from experimental
treatments allow for an individual to be warmed up to 10 minutes have given
great hopes for the future and possible new technologies to repair organs down
to the molecular level where resuscitation taking longer than 60 minutes. It is
how much chemical disorder the human body can sustain and survive through
depends largely on medical technology. Great potential lies in nanomedicine as
scientists believe that they will be able to recover preserved patients with
memory and personality traits.
Nano-technology
have catapulted scientists to discover innovative methods of repairing structures
down to the molecular level. These very same devices will be capable of extensive tissue repair and regeneration. In addition, they
will be able to repair individual cells one molecule at a time. This future nanomedicine
could theoretically recover any preserved person in which the basic brain
structures encoding memory and personality remain intact. Subsequently, true death occurs when respiratory, circulatory
and brain functions are so disorganized that technology cannot restore these
functions to their normal/healthy states. (this is also known as: “information-theoretic
criterion”)
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing," Walt Disney.
Research:
Scientists have been able to freeze human
embryos for years now, but what advancements has science reached to be able to
freeze and revive a full grown human (with memories and personality traits
intact)?
Unlike popsicles during summertime,
human beings are not designed to be frozen and defrosted whenever its most
convenient. When our cells freeze, they fill with ice crystals causing the cell
to expand beyond its normal size, breaking down the cells’ walls causing
permanent damage. Human beings have been known to survive temperatures low
enough to stop the heart, brain, and other organs from working up to an hour.
Ultimately the answer to the question mentioned above is as follows: The
possibility of pausing and restarting life depends strictly on the ability to
preserve cell structure and its chemistry.
Damage to cells during
cryopreservation occurs most often during the freezing stage because of the
side effects from the solution used, extracellular ice formation, dehydration,
and intracellular ice formation. These effects are can be reduced by
cryoprotectants. After this stage and the body is completely frozen, there is
no more damage to the cells of the body. Studies have revealed that the
accumulation of radiation-induced DNA damage during the 'cryonic storage' have
a max storage period of 1,000 years. (W)
To prevent damages during
cryopreservation (caused by the solution used, extracellular ice formation,
dehydration, and intracellular ice formation) a combination of controlled rate,
slow freezing, and vitrification is used. Vitrification helps to prevent damage
from ice crystal formations. With Vitrification scientists have been able to
replace blood with a mixture of chemicals known as “cryo-protectants”. This
mixture of chemicals work similarly to antifreeze to prevent the breakage of
cell walls and little to no ice formation. The low temperatures slow down the
metabolism and allow for preservation of the organelles, cells, tissues,
extracellular matrix, organs, or other biological structures that can
experience damage from unregulated chemical kinetics when cooled to extremely
low temperatures.
"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality," Walt Disney.
These low temperatures can be
achieved by either using solid carbon dioxide to reach -80C or by using liquid
nitrogen to reach temperatures of -196C. Any chemical activity that can cause
damage to any of the biological structures mentioned above can be stopped by reaching
these low temperatures. Damage occurs in these structures because of the
formation of ice that happens when freezing. Normally, when undergoing
cryo-preservation, scientists, have relied on the use of cryo-protectants which
is a mixture of chemicals. These cryoprotectants coat the material of the
subject to be frozen. Cryopreservation does indeed change the structure and
function of cells.
The solution used causes damage to
cells because it pushes the solutes out of the cell causing the concentrations
of the left over liquid water to freeze subsequently creating even more ice
crystals in the cell than there would normally be. The net movement of water
across a semipermeable membrane from a region of low solute concentration to an
area of higher solute concentration is known as osmosis. So, when a cell is in
the presence of a solution (which contains solutes) altering the cell’s
environment because now the solution contains a lower concentration of water.
In conjunction with the definition
of ‘osmosis’ stated above, we can conclude that a solution with
higher solute
concentration is known to be hypertonic (‘hyper’= containing more) compared to
the other which would then have to have a lower solute concentration known to
be hypotonic (‘hypo’= containing less). Water will always move from an area of
higher concentration to an area of lower concentration to reach its goal of
becoming isotonic (a balanced solution for the cell, both externally and
internally). When both solutions have the same concentration of solutes (this
is known as an isotonic solution), there will be no net movement of water
because the cell with its environment is balanced. Therefore, the higher the
concentration of solutes involved, the greater the ice formation, and the
greater the damage.
As tissues are slowly being cooled,
water migrates out of cells, ice forms in the extracellular space, and
mechanical damage to the cell membrane occurs as the cell becomes crushed due
to osmotic pressure. This migration of water and ice formation in the
extracellular space of the cells causes dehydration within the cells directly
damaging the cell as they become less flexible. It is true that some organisms
and tissues can undergo extracellular ice formation with little to no damage,
any intracellular ice formation will eventually be fatal to the cells. (wiki)
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths,” Walt Disney.
Damage
Prevention:
Controlled rate and slow freezing
(aka: slow programmable freezing/ "SPF") are techniques that were
first developed in the 1970s that allowed for the first human embryo, Zoe
Leyland, to have a frozen birth in 1984.
Humans, animals, and cells of
biology have been frozen as biological samples through programmable sequencing
or controlled rates across the world in liquid nitrogen. Such techniques and
technology has allowed for scientists to preserve oocytes, skin, blood
products, embryo, sperm, stem cells, and general tissue in hospitals, research lavatories,
and animal practices.
Before cryoprotectants (which were
accidently discovered in using glycerol to protect cells from the aftermath of
freezing injuries. These effects caused cells direct damage from ice crystals
and the increased concentration of solute concentration causing more ice to
progressively form.) controlled rate cooling process was key to allowing the
biological samples to equilibrate to optimal physical parameters osmotically in
a cryoprotectant (a form of anti-freeze) before cooling in a pre-determined,
controlled way was needed for the process to be fully successful.
Avoiding such damaging effects to
intra-cellular freezing was done so by slow enough cooling to allow sufficient
water to leave the cell during progressive freezing of the extracellular fluid.
The rate then differs between the cells of differing size and water
permeability.
Side note: the usual cooling rate
for cells of mammals is roughly : ~1C/min AFTER being treated with
cryoprotectants that is a mixture of both glycerol or dimethyl sulphoxide.
“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children,” Walt Disney.
The Process:
The process
of cryo-preservation begins by stabilizing the body. The brain is
supplied with enough oxygen and blood to preserve a minimum amount of function
until the body is transported to the suspension facility. The body is packaged
with ice and then injected with heparin (an anticoagulant) to prevent blood
from clotting during the trip. A medical team waits for the arrival of the body
to
The patient’s
body must enter a state of hypothermia as quickly as possible to reduce cell
damage.
This cooling can be carried out with dry ice, which allows the temperature to
be lowered to -79°C, or with liquid nitrogen, which enables a temperature of
-196°C to be reached. Nevertheless, once a temperature of -130°C has been
reached, arrest of the cell’s biological time is complete and the procedure can
continue slowly until it reaches the -196°C of liquid nitrogen. This deep
cooling of the patient’s body without freezing is called ‘vitrification’. Vitrification
prevents any damage that can happen when ice crystals form subsequently
allowing for the cells to enter a state of suspended animation.
The team then must exchange the blood and traces of
water from the body and replace it with cryoprotectant solution (made up of
ethylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and other components) which will prevent
formation of ice crystals. This glycerol-based chemical mixture/solution,
cryoprotectant, is essentially a type of antifreeze that protects tissues and
organs form damages caused by ice crystal formations that occur at extremely
low temperatures. This exchange must occur when the individual’s body is in a
state of hypothermia (extremely low temperatures of 10°C or lower) so that the
solution can transport as much oxygen as blood. Once the blood has been
exchanged for the cryoprotectant, rapid cooling below 0°C should be performed.
The use of
high concentrations
of cryo-protectants allows for the human body to be cooled down to temperatures
as low as -120°C. This technological advancement
of preserving bodily organs such as the human brain which can weigh up to 5
pounds allows scientists at alcor to preserve people without freezing. When cooled to below -90C, the fluid
becomes a glass-like solid. The technique has substantially improved the
reliability of freezing and thawing embryos, and particularly eggs, in
fertility treatment and it works for small pieces of tissue and blood vessels.
Anticoagulants (heparin) and
vasodilators (nimodipine) are also injected into the body. Once cardiac and
respiratory systems have come to a complete halt, the patient must be placed in
a container that is suitable for inducing hypothermia (iced water or other
alternative systems).
Cardiopulmonary support maneuvers
are performed, treatments are administered and intravenous lines are inserted
that allow the blood to be exchanged for cryoprotectant solutions. Next, the
body is placed in a bed of dry ice, put in an individual container is then placed in
a large metal tank filled with liquid nitrogen at roughly -190C/ -320F. The
body is placed with the head downwards so if a leak was to occur the brain
would remain immersed in freezing liquid nitrogen.
Although most individuals have spent up to $150,000 in
preserving their whole bodies, some have spent $50,000 in the hopes of
preserving only their brain in the hopes that future technology will regenerate
the rest of their body (The second procedure is known as ‘neuro-suspension’). Similar
to a science fiction novel or an episode from ‘Futurama’, one cannot help but
wonder how possible is it for these individuals to be revived successfully with
full functioning in the future? And if not, what happens to the bodies? Is the
risk too great to invest money into?
Controversy: Cryopreservation
The
seed of controversy on cryogenic freezing is on the fact that there are no past
experimental results that can guarantee the success of cryogenic freezing. For
many experiments to be required as safe for humans first must have extensive
preclinical experiments in animals, which at least guarantee that humans will
experience no harm or adverse consequences from such technique. Therefore,
there must be reasonable certainty that there are no negative side effects in
the individuals in which it is to be used.
Scientific
research has allowed us, humans, to freeze embryos (which are single celled
oocytes aka the female egg). However, is cryogenic freezing advanced enough to
work overall human body of which is made of billions of cells? Not only are
there over 200 various types of cells living and working in the body, but how
will this process be able to restore each of these cells to their original
biological rhythms?
When
a vitrified oocyte is thawed, the process takes place at the biological rhythm
of a single cell. How can we be sure that in the event of “resuscitation” of
that body, the different biological rhythms of cell recovery would be able to
take place harmoniously, so that recovery of the entire body is feasible? Complex organisms have been known to be unable to survive
vitrification. At the beginning of this process, crystals form. A heavy dose of
non-toxic cryoprotectants are needed to rapidly enter all the cells of the
human body and be easily removed at the end of the process. However, scientists
have yet to come up with a technique/method of doing so. (D)
“First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare,” Walt Disney.
Scientists
have frozen a mouse in liquid nitrogen and have stated that in 5 to 10 years
they will be able to revive it. However, scientists have yet to successfully
freeze and revive a human being. There are no previous studies to support the
guarantee that there will be any negative side effects if scientists find a way
to bring their patients back to life. Many
people in the scientific world are worried that companies like Alcor who
perform cryogenics on patients are selling false hope to those who fear death
and are therefore taking advantage of people in vulnerable states.
Waking
up after hundreds or thousands of years to resume life, healthy and happy, is
pure science fiction. For those individuals who decide to
be cryogenically frozen before death (in other words, those who slowly dying
from an illness or cancer) seems to be immoral as it takes away the person’s
dignity.
Cadavers that are also cryogenically
frozen pose another view of controversy as scientists have no way of reviving
the soul because another version of the ‘state of death’ is when the soul is
separated from the body. Overall, there just is no living proof that reversing
death is possible. These companies are only able to promise patients storage
and close monitoring of their bodies until medicine has evolved to allow these
individuals to come back to life.
Other questions remain. What if
these companies run out of business? What happens to the bodies? What if modern
technology which stores the bodies in liquid nitrogen at extremely low
temperatures run out of business? Who takes care of the bodies? What is the
procedure if the patient does not wake up?
There is no guarantee that brain
function could be completely restored or that people would be conscious, even
less that they would retain memories and knowledge from their previous life. The
complexity of restoring life to the billions of cells in the body in addition
to blood vessels, organs, as well as all the neurons in the body are
extraordinary difficult. The individuals that do thaw properly after cryopreservation,
they will most likely wake up in a different state of mind both emotionally,
physically and even spiritually.
These individuals will be waking up
in a very unfamiliar environment where centuries have passed, friends and
family members have been long gone, and absolutely no connection socially or
possibly blood relatives to help them with such a drastic transition. What will
the world be like when they wake up? Will they be able to endure this new
environment if they could not even survive their own? Is living longer worth it
if they just end up being isolated, frightened and alone?
Concluding Remarks:
Since, death is only a natural part
of life, is using cryopreservation to prolong the inevitable selfish? It really
depends on the individual. The effects of having people be cryopreserved will
also have an unknown effect on the population on earth and the resources we all
share with one another. There are many
factors to weigh when such a sensitive topic is being discussed.
Alcor's future goals include
expanding ice-free cryopreservation (vitrification) beyond the brain to include
the entire human body, and reducing the biochemical alterations of the process
to move closer to demonstrable reversibility. Based on the remarkable progress
being made in conventional organ banking research, we believe that demonstrably
reversible preservation of the human brain is a medical objective that could be
achieved in the natural lifetime of most people living today. (A)
“Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right,” Walt Disney.
Links:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01459741003715391
*Please note! These images are not mine. They were
found on various tumblr sites! If any are yours please let me know so
that I can give you credit for them! Also the people in the images have
no relation to the diseases, illnesses, or cancers I write about. Thanks
so much & enjoy~
No comments:
Post a Comment