24355 Sorentino Court Clinton Township, Mi 48038
Phone 1-586-791-5961
Fax 1-586-792-7062
New Horizons in 21st Century Life Extention
CI's new website
Decemeber 19, 2011
CI Member Mick Petrick, who was featured in the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of LONG LIFE volunteered to remake the Cryonics Institute's website. Today the Cryonics Institute home page was released. Updates to other pages in the website are in progress.
Robert Ettinger's Dog Cryopreserved
November 29, 2011
Robert Ettinger's dog Mugsy took a sudden turn for the worse, causing the veterinarian to euthanize him. Heparin was reportedly administered prior to the euthanasia. Robert Ettinger's (and Mugsy's) caregiver brought Mugsy to the CI facility in a cooler containing ice. Mugsy was perfused with vitrification solution, cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature, and placed in liquid nitrogen to become CI's 83rd cryopreserved pet.
Election and By-Law Change Results
September 19, 2011
The teller's committee reported the following results of the 2011 CI Board of Directors Elections
Ben Best -- 221
Andy Zawacki -- 198
Dennis Kowalski -- 166
Steve Luyckx -- 121
David Stodolsky -- 17
The space indicates the difference between candidates who were elected Director and candidates who were not. Specifically, David Stodolsky was not elected to the CI Board, but Ben Best, Andy Zawacki, Dennis Kowalski, and Steve Luyckx were elected.
Note also that Dennis Kowalski is not to be confused with Joseph Kowalsky, who is also a CI Director.
Concerning the By-Law changes, 2/3 of the 183 votes cast were required for the changes to pass (ie, 122 was required for a pass).
III-B. Section 3.01(B): VOTING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
139 Yes, 13 No, 31 Abstain (Abstain counts as NO) -- PASSED !
ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
130 Yes, 25 No, 28 Abstain (Abstain counts as NO) -- PASSED !
IV-F. Section 4.06: QUORUM
118 Yes, 35 No, 30 Abstain (Abstain counts as NO) -- FAILED !
For details about the issues concerned, see: Cryonics Institute By-Laws Blog
Robert Ettinger Memorial Celebration
September 11, 2011
The Cryonics Institute plans to have a memorial celebration of the life of Robert Ettinger at 4 P.M. at the Annual General Meeting on September 18th (see below). Those who would like to join in and offer their remarks should e-mail David and Connie Ettinger [cdettin(at)aol.com]. For those who cannot attend in person, written remarks can be sent to Connie Ettinger so that they can be read at the meeting.
CI's 106th Patient
July 25, 2011
Robert Ettinger, the founder of the cryonics movement and of the Cryonics Institute, died on Saturday, July 23, at home in Clinton Township, Michigan, and has been cryopreserved at the Institute. The cryonics movement advocates storage at very low temperatures after death in the hope that future technology will permit revival and the cure of aging and disease. Mr. Ettinger wrote The Prospect of Immortality in 1964, a book advocating and explaining the cryonics thesis.
For more information, see: The Cryonics Institute's 106th Patient — Robert Ettinger
AGM is Sunday, September 18, 2011
June 2011
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
For more information, see: CI 2011 Annual General Meeting
CI's 102nd and 103rd Patients
February 8, 2011
Two new patients were received in January, one of whom was a post-mortem sign-up and the other of whom should have gotten better treatment than she did based on the preparations she had made. The 103rd patient went into liquid nitrogen two days after the 102nd patient.
The case reports are now on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 102nd Patient | The Cryonics Institute's 103rd Patient
CI's 101st Patient
October 31, 2010
The Cryonics Institute now has 101 patients. After Curtis Henderson, our 95th patient, CI did not have a new patient for nearly a full year. But in about four months CI has taken-in six new patients. Five of those patients were received on dry ice, only the sixth was perfused. Four of the dry ice patients were post-mortem sign-ups, and the fifth was signed-up only shortly before her death, while she was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital.
The case report is now on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 101st Patient
CI's 100th Patient
September 27, 2010
The Cryonics Institute received its 100th patient on the day of the 2010 Annual General Meeting. The case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 100th Patient
2010 CI Director Election Results
September 20, 2010
For the 2010 Cryonics Institute Director's elections, ballots were sent to Voting Members, each of whom had up to 4 votes to cast for the 5 Director Candidates. Results of the voting was as follows:
Marta Sandberg 104 votes
John Strickland 81 votes
Alan Mole 69 votes
Debbie Fleming 68 votes
Royse Brown 54 votes
The top four candidates were elected to a three-year term. Royse Brown was not re-elected, and Debbie Fleming has become a new Director.
Scientific Symposium on Cryonics
July 27, 2010
The German Association for Applied Biostasis (DGAB) will present Applied Cryobiology — Scientific Symposium on Cryonics at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Goslar, Germany, October 1st to 3rd, 2010. Scientists from universities and cryonics research-facilities all over the world will present the state of the art of cryonics science. Please note that most of the talks will be held in English.
Topics will include: Methods of Cryonics, Research-Approaches of Cryonics, Cryonics and Nanotechnology, Cryobiology, Judicial issues with respect to Death, Working with Surviving Brain Tissue. The program is still open, but already several notable scientists have agreed to be speakers, including Peter Gouras,M.D.,Ph.D., who is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Cryonics Institute. Cryonics Institute President Ben Best is also among the speakers.
During the symposium the "Robert-Ettinger-Medal" for outstanding merit in the field of cryonics will be awarded for the frst time. Robert Ettinger is regarded to be the "father of cryonics". He established the Cryonics Institute in Michigan (USA) and is known to be a pioneer of transhumanism. His books "The Prospect of Immortality" and "Man into Superman" are essential works in the fields of cryonics and transhumanism.
The DGAB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für angewandte Biostase e.V.) has its main office in Munich and was established in May 2006. The aim of the association is the advancement of the research and application of the methods of biostasis, especially cryonics, for life-extension. The symposium is a pioneering event. Its aim is to emphasize the scientific fundamentals of cryonics.
English-Language Announcement of the Symposium (HTML) | English-language Announcement of the Symposium (PDF)
For more information contact Tristan Behrens[symposium2010@biostase.de]
CI's 98th Patient
July 11, 2010
The Cryonics Institute's 98th is the first CI patient from British Columbia, Canada. British Columbia has a law against the marketing of cryonics, but the practice of cryonics is not illegal in B.C. The case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 98th Patient
CI's 96th and 97th Patients
July 11, 2010
After nearly one full year of having had no new patients, the Cryonics Institute has had a 96th and 97th patient in quick succession. One of the patients has been a CI Member for nearly 25 years. Both patients are anonymous, however. The case reports are now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 96th Patient | The Cryonics Institute's 97th Patient
Incumbents seek Re-Election
February 20, 2010
All four of the current CI Directors who would be up for re-election in 2010 have announced their desire to run for re-election. These Directors are R.A. Brown, Alan Mole, Marta Sandberg and John Strickland.
Other CI Members are welcome to announce their desire to run for Director. Potential candidates must be adult CI Members with full funding and contracts in place for human cryopreservation at the Cryonics Institute. The deadline for becoming a candidate in the 2010 CI Board of Directors' election is August 7, 2010, but potential candidates would be well-advised to announce their candidacy well before July if they wish to be listed LONG LIFE magazine
For more information, see: 2010 Cryonics Institute Director Candidates
AGM is Sunday, September 19, 2010
February 1, 2010
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
CI 2010 Annual General Meeting
2009 CI Director Election Results
September 27, 2009
For the 2009 Cryonics Institute Director's elections, ballots were sent to Voting Members, each of whom had up to 4 votes to cast for the 5 Director Candidates. Results of the voting was as follows:
Joseph Kowalsky 99 votes
Constance Ettinger 74 votes
Jordan Sparks 66 votes
Patrick Heller 59 votes
Jack Nixon 57 votes
Thus, the top four candidates were re-elected to a three-year term and Jack Nixon was re-elected to a two-year term.
Reminder: AGM is Sep 27
September 1, 2009
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon and include a free buffet dinner.
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
For more information, see: CI 2009 Annual General Meeting
CI's 95th Patient
July 16, 2009
The Cryonics Institute's 95th patient is Curtis Henderson, one of the cryonics pioneers from the very beginning of cryonics in the mid-1960s. Curtis was President of the Cryonics Society of New York, and he was personally responsible for storing patients for CSNY. Further details about Curtis can be found in the case report on the CI website, which includes a link to a Wikipedia biography. Curtis was placed in liquid nitrogen on July 3, 2009. The case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 95th Patient
CI's 93rd Patient
May 18, 2009
The Cryonics Institute's 93rd patient is William Constitution O'Rights (Bill O'Rights, a name he had legally adopted). Bill was a man in his early 40s who became a cancer victim, and whose cryopreservation was entirely funded by donations. The Society for Venturism led the fund drive, and the Immortality Institute was a major contributor. Bill had been a very active member of the Immortality Institute. Bill was placed in liquid nitrogen on May 15, 2009. The case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 93th Patient
CI's 92nd Patient
May 3, 2009
The Cryonics Institute's 92nd patient was a Mechanical Engineer in his early 60s who became a cancer victim and who deanimated in California. He was placed in liquid nitrogen on April 30, 2009. The case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 92nd Patient
Cryonics Room Party May 1, 2009
April 4, 2009
A life extension/cryonics room party will be held Friday, May 1st, 2009, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Detroit-Metro Airport; 8000 Merriman Road; Romulus, Michigan 48174.
The room party is being held in conjunction with the Penguicon Science Fiction and Open Software (Linux) Convention, which is attended by about a thousand persons. The room party is open to everyone interested in life extension and cryonics, not just those attending the Penguicon convention.
Call (586) 791-5961 on May 1st for the room number
For information about Penguicon, see: Penguicon SF/Open Software Convention
AGM is Sunday, September 27, 2009
March 27, 2009
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
For more information, see: CI 2009 Annual General Meeting
CI Orkut Community Created
November 20, 2008
Cryonics Institute Orkut Community has now been created. Unlike the Cryonics Institute Yahoo Group — and like the Cryonics Institute Facebook Group — the Orkut Community is currently open to anyone, not just CI Members. Like Facebook, Orkut is a social networking group — although created by Google.
CI's 91st Patient
November 11, 2008
The Cryonics Institute's 91st patient is Jack Zinn, a 65-year-old California lawyer with a long history of cryonics membership. Jack has had cryonics arrangements with the American Cryonics Society (of which he was once President), Trans Time, Alcor and most recently CI. He even tried to start his own cryonics organization (the International Cryonics Foundation). He involved himself in a number of cryonics-related legal cases, such as the fight to establish the legal right to cryonics in California. Jack may be most recently remembered for the "High Rollers" conferences that he organized in Laughlin, Nevada in the late 1990s.
He was placed in liquid nitrogen on November 10th, 2008 and the case report is now on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 91st Patient
CI Facebook Group Created
October 29, 2008
Cryonics Institute Facebook Group has now been created. Unlike the Cryonics Institute Yahoo Group, the Cryonics Institute Facebook Group is currently open to anyone, not just CI Members. The Facebook Group was created at the urging of a CI Member, but it remains to be seen how it will be used.
John de Rivaz resigns as CI Director
September 24, 2008
John de Rivaz has resigned as Director of the Cryonics Institute. Joseph Kowalsky, the incumbent Director who failed to be re-elected in the 2008 Director Elections was appointed to serve in the place of John de Rivaz until the next Director elections in 2009. John de Rivaz was the Vice-President of the Cryonics Institute. Alan Mole has been elected by the CI Directors to be the new CI Vice-President.
Details concerning all current CI Directors and Officers can be found on the Cryonics Institute website:
Directors of the Cryonics Institute | Officers of the Cryonics Institute
New Members of the SAB
September 24, 2008
Two new Members have been added to the Cryonics Institute Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Robert Duncan Enzmann, PhD, MD, ErHb and Gunter Boden, MD. As with all of the other SAB Members, both are also CI Members.
The current SAB can be found on the Cryonics Institute website:
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Cryonics Institute.
2008 CI Voting Results
September 21, 2008
For the 2008 Cryonics Institute Director's elections, ballots were sent to 280 Voting Members, each of whom had up to 4 votes to cast for the 5 Director Candidates. Results of the voting was as follows:
Andy Zawacki 195
Ben Best 123
SR Luyckx 37
John de Rivaz 36
Joe Kowalsky 32
Thus, the top four candidates were elected and Joe Kowalsky failed to be re-elected.
For the proposed By-Law changes, 110 votes were cast, with the following result:
All 59
None 14
Other 1 ("Only III-B")
Abstentions: 36
59 votes was not sufficient to pass the By-Law changes. A committee composed of York Porter and David Ettinger will attempt to draft new By-Law changes.
CI Makes Another Technical Disclosure
September 21, 2008
In February 2007 the Cryonics Institute disclosed the formula of its vitrification solution CI-VM-1 developed by CI staff cryobiologist Dr. Yuri Pichugin. Now in September 2008 CI (and the Immortalist Society) is disclosing the Blood-Brain Barrier modifier which Dr. Pichugin had spent much of 2007 perfecting and validating.
Details can be found on the Cryonics Institute website: Blood-Brain Barrier Modifier Preliminary Patent Application Disclosure .
Annual Meetings Sept 21st
September 7, 2008
As was announced in the message below (February 1, 2008), the Annual General Meetings of the Cryonics Institute and the Immortalist Society will be at the CI Facility in Michigan on Sunday, September 21st -- two weeks from the date of this posting. For more details, see the message below or the announcement on the CI website:
CI 2008 Annual General Meeting
CI's 90th Patient
June 21, 2008
The Cryonics Institute's 90th patient was a middle-aged man who deanimated in Britain and was stored in dry ice for more than a month before being shipped to CI. He was placed in liquid nitrogen on June 21st, 2008 and the case report is now on the website:
The Cryonics Institute's 90th Patient
CI's 88th and 89th Patients
June 7, 2008
Detailed case reports for the Cryonics Institute's 88th and 89th patients are now available on the CI website. The 88th patient was placed in liquid nitrogen last Monday, June 2nd, whereas the 89th patient was placed in liquid nitrogen today, June 7th, 2008:
The Cryonics Institute's 88th Patient | The Cryonics Institute's 89th Patient
Scientific cryonics paper published
May 8, 2008
The April 2008 issue of REJUVENATION RESEARCH (Volume 11, Number 2) contains an explanation and justification of cryonics written for scientists by CI President Ben Best entitled Scientific Justification for Cryonics Procedures. The piece is well-referenced with citations to peer-reviewed journal articles. Hopefully, this and other articles like it (of which there are very few) can increase understanding and credibility among scientists and physicians concerning the scientific basis of cryonics.
Membership Names Simplified
May 1, 2008
CI is simplifying terminology by describing the two classes of Membership as Lifetime and Yearly, rather than Option One and Option Two, respectively. Yearly Memberships can still be paid in quarterly installments. There are no changes to features of these two classes of Members, there is only the name change. Details on CI Memberships can be found on the Cryonics Institute
Membership page.
Cryonics Rescue Training
March 19, 2008
On Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, 2008 there will be a Cryonics Rescue Training course at the Cryonics Institute. The purpose of the course is to prepare the participants to reduce injury and facilitate transport of cryonics patients in emergency and non-emergency situations.
There is no cost for the course, but a $100 deposit is required which is refunded to all except those who do not attend. Attendence will be limited to 15 participants. Attendance preference will be given to CI Members who have contracts and funding in place for human cryopreservation.
A detailed description of the training is available on the CI website:
Cryonics Rescue Training
CI's 87th Patient
March 7, 2008
CI's 87th patient had been the President of the Cryonics Association of Australia.
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 87th patient is available on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 87th Patient
CI's 86th Patient
February 12, 2008
CI's 86th patient is a 27-year-old European University student of nanonechnology who was stricken with leukemia 8 months before his deanimation. He joined CI in late January, and completed his sign-up and funding with the help of his supportive brother. His father and a female cousin flew from Europe to see the Cryonics Institute before the patient was placed into a cryostat.
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 86th patient is available on the CI website:
The Cryonics Institute's 86th Patient
AGM is Sunday, September 21, 2008
February 1, 2008
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
This year there are four Cryonics Institute Director up for re-election. (See the CI Board of Directors webpage). Qualifications for being a Director of CI are given in the By−Laws. To become a Director a Member must be a Voting Member of CI. An unwritten requirement is use of e-mail, which is essential in the Board's decision-making. All Director candidates should announce their intentions and should submit a short candidacy statement (100 words or less) for mailing with the proxies before August 8, 2008. But it is much better to announce candidacy well before July 1st, 2008 to be included as a candidate in the July-August issue of LONG LIFE magazine.
For driving directions, use MapQuest or send e-mail to the CI Facility or phone 1-586-791-5961. The meetings are open to the general public, but we do request that we be informed ahead of time if you wish to attend (by the above e-mail address, phone number or mailing address).
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
For more information, see: CI 2008 Annual General Meeting
Dr. Pichugin resigns, Chana de Wolf visits
December 14, 2007
Dr. Yuri Pichugin resigned from his position as Director of Research at the Cryonics Institute. Effective December, 2007 Dr. Pichugin will cease to be a Cryonics Institute employee.
Dr. Pichugin is planning to go to Russia and begin a research program there. In Russia he will have access to more facilities at lower costs. His intention is to do research for CI and other interested organizations on a contract basis.
Dr. Pichugin had already made known his plans to work in either Ukraine or Russia in 2008. He spent much of October and November, 2007 in those countries and decided upon Russia. His intention was to remain a CI employee while working abroad, but not long after returning to Michigan he decided to resign and work as an independent researcher/contractor.
As an act of goodwill and information sharing, Alcor's rat researcher Chana de Wolf visited CI to acquire some of Dr. Pichugin's skills before Dr. Pichugin left North America. In the past week Dr. Pichugin demonstrated his basic experimental methods and taught Chana the fine art of extracting a hippocampus from a rat brain.
Photo of the de Wolfs with Dr. Yuri Pichugin
Chana's husband Aschwin de Wolf accompanied Chana on this trip to Michigan. Aschwin has considerable knowledge of cryonics emergency response procedures, much of which he gained as an employee at Suspended Animation, Inc. After training with Dr. Pichugin, Aschwin and Chana spent two days discussing CI procedures and helping to plan a cryonics standby/emergency response training for CI Members which is expected to be held in May 2008. Further announcements about this training will be forthcoming.
CI's 85th Patient
October 26, 2007
In October, 2007 the Cryonics Institute received its 85th patient, now in liquid nitrogen at the CI facility. At the request of the family, all details are being withheld.
Paris Hilton news story
October 19, 2007
The Cryonics Institute (CI) is aware of a news story that Paris Hilton has "bought shares" in CI. CI is a non-profit corporation and does not issue shares. People cannot buy shares in CI and CI has no shareholders. CI is "owned" (controlled) entirely by its voting Members, and elected Directors and Officers. Voting Members are adult CI Members who have contracts and funding in place for their own cryopreservation. Income and assets are to be used only for maintaining the organization and for the benefit of its patients. No individual can have personal ownership of CI assets.
For further detail on how CI is structured see the By- Laws of the Cryonics Institute .
Concerning the reported membership of Paris Hilton in CI or her use of CI services, as a policy CI does not affirm or deny such claims. CI recommends that anyone considering copying this story circulating in the celebrity press contact Miss Hilton or her press officer first and check the facts.
CI's 84th Patient
September 25, 2007
The 84th patient of the Cryonics Institute is Viola Dufault, the grandmother of CI Member Kevin Boyle. Kevin is well known among CI Members for the cryopreservation of his dog Thor in February 2005. When Viola was placed in liquid nitrogen on Saturday, September 22 (the day before the Cryonics Institute Annual General Meeting) the event was witnessed by cryonics pioneer Curtis Henderson and LONG LIFE Editor John Bull, among others. Kevin was unable to attend because of very recent surgery.
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 84th patient is available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 84th Patient
Voting Results
September 23, 2007
Of 238 proxies mailed out, just over 80 votes were returned for either Directors or for the proposed removal of Section 5.01 of the By-Laws (some voted for one and not the other), constituting about a third of the Voting Members. Only one-fifth of Voting Members are required to give a quorum of Voting Members.
There were five candidates running for four positions on the Board of Directors. The election results were as follows:
Alan Mole 80
Marta Sandberg 76
Royse Brown 72
John Strickland 62
Jim Fitzgerald 55
Marta Sandberg has been newly elected to the Board and Jim Fitzgerald is no longer a Board Member. I hope that Jim will not get too discouraged and that he will consider running for the Board again in the future.
Proxy votes for the removal of By-Law 5.01 were received with 74 favoring removal and 9 opposed to removal. York Porter continued his lobbying against the removal right into the meeting and he managed to convince everyone that changing the By-Law is not a good idea. Proxies can only be used in a vote if a vote is called. There was no motion to call for a vote on the removal of Section 5.01 at the AGM, much less someone seconding the motion. Because no one made a motion to vote on the By-Law repeal, the question was tabled.
CI's 83rd Patient
August 11, 2007
CI's 83rd Patient was an 91-year old woman who was straight-frozen by her son. The man had been unable to obtain the funding immediately and had to keep his mother on dry ice for a few weeks. The woman had a long history of many illnesses, which had become especially severe in the final several months.
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 83rd patient is available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 83rd Patient
CI's 82nd Patient
June 15, 2007
CI's 82nd Patient was an 85-year old woman who had been a CI Member for several years, along with her husband. She had been a stroke victim and her husband was caring for her (with the help of nurses) when she died suddenly after admission to hospital emergency. An attempt was made to perfuse this Member's body with glycerol (with some success) following vitrification perfusion of the head.
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 82nd patient is available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 82nd Patient
Successful Open House
June 25, 2007
Between 40-50 people attended the June 24 Open House at the Cryonics Institute, resulting in four immediate new Members and other less tangible benefits. This is hopefully another step toward building of a local community of cryonicists, perhaps eventually including hospice care and mutual aid volunteer standby. The benefits of deanimating close to CI rather than at a distance are very great in terms of reducing ischemic damage.
Those who missed the Open House or those who attended and noted that Ben Best was the only Director present should strongly consider coming to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, September 23. Many Directors and Advisors as well as special guests attend the AGM. The AGM is an excellent opportunity to not only see the current state of the CI facility, but to see the people running the organization as well as the issues we are struggling with. An informal dinner on the Saturday evening before the meeting provides an additional chance for socializing.
For more details on the AGM see CI 2007 Annual General Meetingnt
CI's 81st Patient
June 15, 2007
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 81st patient is now available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 81st Patient
CI's 81st Patient was an 77-year-old man with a long history of interest and involvement in cryonics. Suspended Animation, Inc. waited by the bedside, providing rapid cooldown, cardiopulmonary support and blood washout when the patient deanimated. A case report will also be available from Suspended Animation soon which describes their participation in this case.
CI's 80th Patient
May 1, 2007
The Cryonics Institute has placed its 80th patient into liquid nitrogen. A case report for the 80th patient will be available on the website soon.
Details Open House Description
Cryonics Institute Open House
April 15, 2007
There will be an Open House at the Cryonics Institute on Sunday, June 24, 2007 from 3pm to 7pm. The Open House will include tours, demonstrations, a lecture and a free buffet dinner. The lecture, entitled "Cryonics and Rejuvenation" will be given by Cryonics Institute President Ben Best and is intended to introduce the goals and methods of cryonics as well as the state of cryonics organizations and technology in the world today.
Details Open House Description
CI Director Candidates
April 3, 2007
So far only the four incumbant CI Directors have put their names forward for the four CI Board of Directors positions up for re-election in 2007. Their names and biographies are on the CI Director Candidates Webpage.
CI Members over age 18 who have funding and contracts in place for cryopreservation at the Cryonics Institute are eligible to run as Board of Directors. Those wishing to be candidates should submit their candidacy intention (including biographical information and campaign platform) to the Cryonics Institute by Friday, August 10, 2007. The sooner candidacy is announced the better the chances of being elected.
CI's 79th Patient
March 30, 2007
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 79th patient is now available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 79th Patient
CI's 79th Patient was an 88-year-old man who had been a CI Member for many years. He was driven to Michigan from a nearby state and perfusion began about 12 hours after the time of his deanimation.
CI's 78th Patient
March 18, 2007
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 78th patient is now available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 78th Patient
CI's 78th Patient was an 81-year-old German woman, the second German to have been cryopreserved by CI. Shipment from Germany could not be done as quickly as would be desired due to the delays at the consulate. The patient was packed in ice without blood washout and shipped to the Michigan. Perfusion began about 66 hours after the time of her deanimation. Despite the fact that heparin had not been circulated, problems with clotting were apparently minimal -- we saw more signs of clotting in our 77the patient. The vitrification perfusion appears to have gone well for this patient, despite the expectations of clotting.
Vitrification Formula Disclosure
February 23, 2007
On the basis of legal counsel the Cryonics Institute has decided to abandon efforts to obtain a patent for the vitrification mixture being used by CI to cryopreserve patients and pets. The formula is being disclosed to preclude others from preventing CI from using it. Full disclosure can now be found on the following page of the CI website:
CI-VM-1 Cryoprotectant Solution
CI's 77th Patient
February 14, 2007
A detailed case report for the Cryonics Institute's 77th patient is now available on the CI website: The Cryonics Institute's 77th Patient
CI's 77th patient was a 96-year-old man who has been a CI Member since 1999. He had been encouraged to become a CI Member by two of this three sons, both of whom are also CI Members. He deanimated within a week after having hip surgery.
Potluck Dinner Sunday, March 25
February 11, 2007
There will be a Potluck Dinner at the CI Facility (24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035), Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 6pm. That Sunday coincides with the date of the next Directors/Advisors meeting at the CI Facility, possibly providing and opportunity for some Members a chance to meet Advisors/Directors and vice-versa.
There will be a 7pm lecture by Ben Best:
Can Sex Hormones Safely Rejuvenate Older Adults?
The word "rejuvenate" sounds like snake oil, and the answer is probably "No" in the sense of extending maximum lifespan, but it is clear that sex hormone replacement can relieve symptoms of menopause, if you want to call menopause "aging". The benefits of testosterone in men are similar to the benefits of progesterone and estrogen in women, with similar risks.
Anyone interested in more details on the above topic is very much encouraged to come and bring guests. Send e-mail to the CI Facility or phone 1-586-791-5961 if you have questions about the meeting or are planning to come.
AGM is Sunday, September 23, 2007
January 29, 2007
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
This year there are four Cryonics Institute Director up for re-election. (See the CI Board of Directors webpage). Qualifications for being a Director of CI are given in the By−Laws. To become a Director a Member must be a Voting Member of CI. An unwritten requirement is use of e-mail, which is essential in the Board's decision-making. All Director candidates should announce their intentions and should submit a short candidacy statement (100 words or less) for mailing with the proxies before August 10, 2007.
For driving directions, use MapQuest or send e-mail to the CI Facility or phone 1-586-791-5961. The meetings are open to the general public, but we do request that we be informed ahead of time if you wish to attend (by the above e-mail address, phone number or mailing address).
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
For more information, see: CI 2007 Annual General Meeting
CI's 76th Patient
December 30, 2006
CI's 76th patient was an Option Two CI Member who had an insurance policy in place to pay for his cryopreservation. Unfortunately because he died unexpectedly and his cause of death was unknown he was autopsied. CI Members concerned about preventing autopsy are advised to read
Avoiding Autopsy for Cryonics.
CI's 75th Patient
October 18, 2006
CI's 75th patient was yet another mother cryopreserved by a son, although in this case with the approval of a living father. Her membership and arrangements were made on the day of her deanimation, which was on a Saturday, but there were additional delays simply due to the rules of Chicago hospitals.
Further Simplification of SA-CI Fees
September 27, 2006
Suspended Animation, Inc. has decided to further simplify its pricing structure by eliminating the annual $100 dues. SA-Affiliated CI Members who have already paid their annual dues will get a refund for the full amount.
Immortalist Society AGM Results
September 24, 2006
It was agreed that magazine of the Immortalist Society will be given the name LONGEVITY. Whether the name of the Immortalist Society will be changed -- and what it will be changed to if it is changed -- remains unresolved.
Results of the AGM of CI Members
September 24, 2006
Of the 218 Director Election ballots mailed to Voting CI Members 91 were returned, including one spoiled ballot. Not everyone used all 4 of the votes they were given. Results of the voting were as follows:
C. Ettinger 109
J. Sparks 73
J. Nixon 64
P. Heller 62
B. Fox 30
P. Batista 19
So the Directors elected until 2009 are Connie Ettinger, Jordan Sparks, Jack Nixon and Pat Heller.
All 12 voting CI Members at the Meeting except one supported changing Article III-B Section 3.01(B) of the By-Laws to include the words "be age 18 or over and" as follows:
III-B. Section 3.01(B): VOTING MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
All Cryonics Institute members permitted to (a) vote on the matters referred to in these By-Laws or (b) serve as a Director must be voting members of the Cryonics Institute. To qualify as a Voting Member of the Cryonics Institute a CI Member must be age 18 or over and either be an Option One Member or have been an Option Two Member for at least three years. Additionally, only CI Members with an executed Cryonic Suspension Agreement and having full funding for the Cryonic Suspension Agreement may be Voting Members.
Simplification of Fees
September 15, 2006
Suspended Animation, Inc. has decided to simplify its pricing structure by offering the same prices regardless of geographical location within continental North America. Previously a discount was offered for those who live in South Florida. This price change currently affects only one Cryonics Institute Member living in South Florida, and he will be allowed to continue his contract at the existing price. For Membership and product pricing, see
Membership.
Featured Attendance at the AGM
August 24, 2006
The 2006 Annual General Meeting of the Cryonics Institute is being attended by prominent members of two other Cryonics Organizations: Suspended Animation General Manager Charles Platt and American Cryonics Society Chief Operating Officer Jim Yount. Charles Platt will be giving a presentation about Suspended Animation capabilities.
The CI AGM will be held Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 2pm at the CI Main Facility in Clinton Township, Michigan, about 20 miles northeast of the city of Detroit. The CI AGM is open to the public and members of other cryonics organizations are welcome to attend. However, we request that we be informed in advance by those who plan to attend to assist in our preparations for the meeting.
For more information, see: Cryonics Institute 2006 AGM.
CI's 74th Patient
May 16, 2006
The Cryonics Institute's 74th patient is a 79-year-old woman who was a victim of breast cancer -- who was cryopreserved by her son. She deanimated (was pronounced dead) on Sunday, May 14th (Mother's Day). Of the most recent seven patients, five are mothers cryopreserved by their sons.
This case typifies the popular conception of cryonics as something that is not arranged until time of death. Although the family had agreed upon cryonics in February, formal arrangements with the Cryonics Institute were initiated only a few days before deanimation. The deanimation occurred sooner than had been expected. Preparations were therefore not as good as they could have been. There was no use of heparin and shipment was briefly delayed because funding had to be wired. Under the circumstances, it went surprisingly quickly and smoothly, but more advanced preparation would have made a big difference.
Special Meeting on May 21st, 2006
April 14, 2006
The Cryonics Institute is having a Special Member's Meeting on Sunday, May 21st, 2006 at 2pm at the main CI Facility at 24355 Sorrentino Court; Clinton Township, MI 48035. The purpose of the meeting is to count proxies and votes for a change of Article X of the By-Laws to disallow distribution of Membership Fees to Members should CI ever dissolve:
X−B.Section 10.02: DISSOLUTION
This will improve our non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service.
CI's 73rd Patient
March 23, 2006
Our 73rd patient was not in the kind of condition we would want, to say the least. She had been autopsied, her autopsied brain was in her abdomen and she had spent weeks in refrigeration before being shipped to CI in dry ice. Her son was aware that her chances for reanimation are much worse than for the typical cryonics patient, but he felt that a small chance is still better than no chance.
AGM is Sunday, September 24, 2006
February 20, 2006
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
This year there are two open positions for Cryonics Institute Director, because Alan Sinclair has resigned, and Robert Ettinger is going to resign at the end of his term. (See the CI Board of Directors webpage). Qualifications for being a Director of CI are given in the By−Laws. To become a Director a Member must be a Voting Member of CI. An unwritten requirement is use of e-mail, which is essential in the Board's decision-making. All Director candidates should announce their intentions and should submit a short candidacy statement (100 words or less) for mailing with the proxies before August 11, 2006.
For driving directions, use MapQuest or send e-mail to the CI Facility. or phone 1-586-791-5961. The meetings are open to the general public, but we do request that we be informed ahead of time if you wish to attend (by the above e-mail address, phone number or mailing address).
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
Alan Sinclair Resigns as Director
January 30, 2006
Alan Sinclair has resigned his position as a Director of the Cryonics Institute Board of Directors because of his decision to switch his cryonics arrangements to Alcor Life Extension Foundation. The Cryonics Institute's By-Laws require that Directors have a Cryonic Suspension Agreement and funding in place with CI to qualify as Board Member
http://www.cryonics.org/By_Laws.html#_IIIB_
so Alan could not remain on the Board after switching his contract and funding to Alcor. Alan has apologized for any embarrassment this may have caused, but he believes that Alcor will be offering whole body vitrification in the near future, and this is a service he desires.
The Cryonics Institute has no plans to offer whole body vitrification to our Members in the near future, although a form of cryoprotectant perfusion of the body in addition to cryoprotectant perfusion of the head is anticipated shortly for those who request it. We have regretfully accepted Mr. Sinclair's resignation.
CI's 72nd Patient
January 17, 2006
The 72nd patient of the Cryonics Institute was an 84-year-old woman who had been on a ventilator and had a gangrenous leg. Her son and a team of 3 other Cryonics Institute Members living in the area provided CardioPulmonary Support (CPS) and cooling on her for an hour after legal declaration of death. The perfusion and cooling-box cooling went extremely well. More details will appear in THE IMMORTALIST.
Suspended Animation Standby can now be funded with insurance
December 23, 2005
A new set of agreements have been drawn-up and signed between Suspended Animation and the Cryonics Institute which allow CI Members to fund Suspended Animation Standby using a life insurance policy. Details can be found on the CI website:
http://www.cryonics.org/SA/SA_CI_Announcement.html | http://www.cryonics.org/SA/SA_documents.html
CI's 71th Patient
December 23, 2005
The 71st patient of the Cryonics Institute deanimated about noon yesterday in Nevada. His name is John Connole and he has been a Member of CI since 1991. John was at one time our Contracts Officer (the person who verifies that Member contracts are completed properly -- a position now held by Connie Ettinger). John worked in the Aerospace Industry before he retired. He was 84 years old at the time of his deanimation. His condition has been critical for the last few months. Last week we were told he would last 5-10 days and his wife phone two days ago to say that he would probably not last more than a day. He was given heparin, some CPR and ice was packed around his head immediately after a speedy pronouncement of death. He deanimated about noon yesterday and we began our work on him at our funeral directors at 9am this morning. More details will appear in THE IMMORTALIST.
CI's 70th Patient
November 22, 2005
The Cryonics Institute has received its 70th patient, a 21-year-old man who died in an automobile accident. In addition to suffering head injuries in the accident, the patient was autopsied. Reportedly the patient had spoken of wanting to be cryopreserved, without anticipating that he would be deanimating so young. A closed-casket funeral service was held, attended by hundreds of people, with the casket containing ice -- a requirement to satisfy all members of the family. Because of the condition of the patient we did not attempt a perfusion. He has been straight-frozen.
Scientific Advisory Board
November 8, 2005
A number of eminent scientists who are Members of the Cryonics Institute have agreed to form a Scientific Advisory Board for CI. The names and credentials of the Board Members can be found on the on the Cryonics Institute website:
http://www.cryonics.org/SAB.html
Case Summary on Website
August 19, 2005
On Wednesday, August 17th we placed CI's 69th patient into a cryostat after a cooling period of nearly four-and-a-half days. A technical description of the case is now available on the Cryonics Institute website:
http://www.cryonics.org/reports/CI69.html
CI's New Cooling Box
August 13, 2005
The Cryonics Institute now has two computer-controlled cooling boxes, a large one for human patients and a small one for pets & testing. CI's most recent patient (the 69th) has benefitted from both the new vitrification protocol and the new large cooling box.
Details concerning the new cooling boxes can be found on the Cryonics Institute website:
http://www.cryonics.org/reports/Cooling_Boxes.html
CI's 69th Patient
August 12, 2005
Shortly after 6am on Friday morning the Cryonics Institute received a call from the son of an unfunded CI Member informing us that his Member mother had just been pronounced dead. Within 13 hours we had received $28,000 and the patient. The patient is currently cooling to liquid nitrogen temperature. This is CI's 69th patient, and the first patient CI has cryopreserved in 2005. More details will be released in THE IMMORTALIST.
Suspended Animation Standby now available to CI Members
April 25, 2005
The Cryonics Institute has successfully concluded negotiations for a contract to offer Standby and Transport assistance from the Florida cryopreservation research company Suspended Animation, Inc. CI Members who wish to receive these services must provide additional funding, part of which can be through life insurance.
Details of the Standby and Transport Services Protocols and Fees can be found on the Cryonics Institute website:
http://www.cryonics.org/SA/Suspended_Animation.html
AGM is Sunday, September 25, 2005
April 7, 2005
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Cryonics Institute will be held Sunday, September 25, 2005 at 2pm at the main facility, 24355 Sorrentino Court, Clinton Township, Michigan 48035. The Annual General Meeting of The Immortalist Society will immediately follow the AGM of CI on the same Sunday. Meetings generally last most of the afternoon.
For driving directions, use MapQuest or send e-mail to the CI Facility. or phone 1-586-791-5961. The meetings are open to the general public, but we do request that we be informed ahead of time if you wish to attend (by the above e-mail address, phone number or mailing address).
Meetings offer a great opportunity to see the facility, to meet other members, to get a sense of the status of the Cryonics Institute and to see Officers, Directors & Staff.
Vitrification Protocol Used on Dog
February 20, 2005
On February 10th, 2005 the Cryonics Institute vitrified the dog of one of its Members, Kevin Boyle. Perfusion was through the aorta, with clamping of the descending aorta. Thus, only the upper portion of the body was perfused with Dr. Pichugin's vitrification mixture. The Cryonics Institute is now prepared to apply a similar procedure to its human patients living in the United States (there are shipping problems associated with overseas Members).
Our vitrification mixture is unsuitable for perfusing whole bodies. We could perfuse the rest of the body with ethylene glycol or glycerol, but to do so would compromise the perfusion of the brain. Vitrification mixture, like all cryoprotectants, is toxic at higher temperatures and it is important to begin cooling immediately after perfusion to reduce the danger of ice formation. There is also a great risk of edema if we attempt to perfuse the whole body with vitrification mixture. Edema could prevent perfusion and in that case would be a costly waste of time.
W
e will certainly be cryopreserving the whole body. Future technology will still be required to reverse biochemical damage, reverse the effects of aging and to eliminate all disease, including the damaging results of past disease. One of our prominent Members, James Swayze, is paraplegic and we definitely believe that if future technology is able to reanimate him, he will be restored to full functionality.
We strongly believe that the elimination or near-elimination of ice in the brain is an enormous benefit for all CI Members. Although glycerol has vitrifying (anti-freeze) properties, it results in no less than 20% ice formation everywhere, including the brain. Eventually our research may allow for whole body vitrification, but we can make no guarantees. Our highest immediate priorities are to improve washout and eliminate cold ischemia during shipment to Michigan for administration of the vitrification protocol. We also want to improve the vitrification protocol.
DONATIONS TO THE CI RESEARCH FUND ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. Make checks or money orders payable to The Immortalist Society to be tax-deductable. Mail to 24355 Sorrentino Court; Clinton Township, MI 48035 USA. Or pay by PayPal to immsoc@aol.com or phone-in your credit card number to (586) 791-5961.
For a description of the cryopreservation of Kevin Boyle's dog see: Dog Thor.
Youniverse Available on Website
February 15, 2005
Robert Ettinger's new book YOUNIVERSE is now available as a PDF document, freely available on the Cryonics Institute website. Interested persons can access the book by clicking here:Youniverse.
New Cryonics Emergency Equipment
January 22, 2005
Recently the Cryonics Institute acquired some new emergency cryonics response equipment, namely a Portable Ice Bath (PIB) and an Active Compression/DeCompression Heart-Lung Machine (ACDC Thumper). Earlier in the year we had acquired additional manual ACDC units (Ambu-CardioPumps) and for years we have had a standard model Michigan Instruments Thumper available for our use.
A description of this equipment with some photographs depicting their use can be found on the Cryonics Institute website at this link: