Suspended Animation Field Cryoprotection FAQ

What is FCP?

FCP stands for field cryoprotection. Field cryoprotection means that the procedure to protect the patient against ice formation at cryogenic temperatures is conducted at the patient’s location instead of the cryonics facility.   

What is the difference between cryoprotection and cryopreservation?

Cryoprotection entails replacing the blood of the patient with a cryoprotectant but the patient is not cooled to cryogenic temperatures. It would be logistically too complex to ship the patient in a dewar with liquid nitrogen to the cryonics facility. 

What is the cryoprotectant used in FCP?

The current cryoprotectant used for this procedure is named for VM-1.

VM-1 is a hyper-stable vitrification agent developed by cryobiologist Yuri Pichugin for cryonics use in 2005. At the concentrations used in FCP, the patient’s tissues will turn into a glass-like state instead of freezing during liquid nitrogen store.

VM-1 composition and procedure has been further validated and refined by the neural cryobiology lab Advanced Neural Biosciences. 

How does FCP work?

After washing out the patient’s blood, the cryoprotectant is carefully introduced at low temperatures and safe pressure in progressively higher concentrations to prevent cell damage. When a cryoprotectant concentration necessary for vitrification is achieved, the perfusion procedure is terminated. 

What happens after FCP?

After the patient is perfused with a vitrifiable concentration of VM-1, transport will be at dry ice temperatures. Transport at dry ice temperature mitigates cryoprotectant toxicity and ischemia (i.e, cell damage due to ongoing metabolism) but without adding the complexities of shipping at liquid nitrogen.

How much extra time does the FCP procedure add to SST?

In the old SST procedure (Standby, Stabilization, and Transport) the patient’s blood is washed out and then shipped on water ice to the facility. In FCP, this procedure is followed by cryoprotection. The cryoprotection can add several hours to the procedure, depending on the condition of the patient and delays between time of death and start of cryoprotection. Cooling the patient to dry ice temperature can take another 1-2 days.  

Does this procedure constitute true whole-body field cryoprotection?

Yes. This FCP protocol uses open heart surgery by professional surgeons and pump-based cryoprotection by perfusionists to introduce the cryoprotectant to the whole body. This procedure is superior to approaches where only the head of the patient is perfused through the neck vessels and the rest of the body is allowed to freeze.   

What are the extra costs associated with FCP?

FCP costs more than the old SST + washout procedure because of the added cost of the vitrification agent (including multi-regional storage) and the additional labor associated with cryoprotectant perfusion and dry ice cooling. In 2025, the fee for comprehensive SST + FCP services was increased by $18,000 to reflect these changes.
 

How do SST and FCP produce a superior outcome for CI members?

Unlike CI’s classic procedure where a patient is picked up by a funeral director and transported to the facility, a standby team of medically trained professionals deploy to the patient’s bedside and start procedures immediately after pronouncement of legal death. The team rapidly restores circulation, cools the patient, and administers medications to prevent blood clotting and cell damage. This procedure is followed by complete whole-body washout and cryoprotectant perfusion. All these steps are completed within a time frame that is shorter than it would take to transport a patient to the CI facility before cryoprotection can even start. As a consequence, post-mortem damage to the brain and ice formation during storage are greatly reduced.