Introduction to Cryopreservation

What is human cryopreservation and how does it work?

Quick definition

Human cryopreservation (also known as biostasis or cryonics) is an advanced medical procedure that puts a human into complete biological pause after their legal death. The purpose is to keep people preserved until medical technology has advanced enough to treat their cause of death and revive them. Cryonics provides the chance for patients to benefit from future technology and to potentially live a longer life than what is currently possible.

Basic info

How does it work?

Step 1

Sign-up

Patients wishing to be cryopreserved sign up for a membership with Tomorrow.bio. We help them get the necessary paperwork in order, ensure there’s insurance or funds in place to pay for the cryopreservation procedure and stay ready to cryopreserve them whenever death occurs. For people signing up at the last minute, we have special rates.

Step 2

Dispatch

Most deaths can be predicted by medical conditions and circumstances. When there are signs that a patient might be dying, we dispatch one of our ambulances with a biostasis response team. They usually arrive before death occurs, allowing us to start the stabilization process as soon as the patient is legally pronounced dead.

Step 3

Stabilization

We cool the patient down as quickly as possible using ice and water. Then we initiate cardiopulmonary support (CPS) and infuse them with neuroprotective and anti-clotting medication. This stabilizes the patient, slows down the degradation process, and prepares the patient for cryoprotection.

Step 4

Cryoprotection

Our ambulances are fully equipped to perform field cryopreservation, allowing us to get right to work: During our cryoprotection procedure, we will slowly replace the patient’s blood with cryoprotectant and cool them down further. The cryoprotectant protects the body during the cooldown.

Step 5

Transport

We transport the patient to our storage facility in Switzerland. Transport can take place by ambulance or plane depending on the distance of the patient to the facility.

Step 6

Cooldown

At the facility, the cryoprotected patients are placed in a cooldown chamber. As quickly as possible, we cool them to −120 °C, where they will undergo a process called vitrification, which is a glass-like transition of the body. Following this process, we slow the cooldown to about 1 °C per hour to avoid thermal stress. Cooldown finishes when the patient has reached −196 °C.

Step 7

Storage

Patients are placed in a pod, which is then placed in a cryogenic dewar filled with liquid nitrogen. Here they are stored indefinitely, with no electricity required. The liquid nitrogen is regularly refilled by the on-site team or an automated system.

Why you should consider it

The case for human cryopreservation

More and more people are unwilling to accept death from causes that might be solved when technology and medicine advances. Cryonics is the best hope for life extension in the future.

Avoid death from preventable causes

Today’s incurable disease might be curable in the future. Human cryopreservation is your best change for a revival and cure once medicine has sufficiently advanced.

See the world of the future

Some of our members are simply curious to see the world of the future. What wonders will be brought on by great advancements in fields like space travel, robotics, and consciousness?

Live without a time constraint

Of all the possible careers, hobbies, cultures, and lifestyles that exist, there are very few that can be explored in an 80-year life span. What free time activities and interesting topics have you given up exploring because you didn't feel there was enough time?

Benefit from science

As scientists have gained a greater understanding of biology, it has become clear that diseases and aging are not inevitabilities but problems that science can solve. For those, who are excited to be a part of the future and live extended lives, cryopreservation is the best option.

Have we sparked your curiosity?

Learn more about what we offer and what it costs.

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The science behind biostasis

Why revival might become possible

While the revival of cryopreserved patients is not yet possible there is no fundamental reason why it isn’t achievable. Many medical procedures that were unimaginable in the past are standard practice today. Here is some of the scientific research that indicates it might be possible.

Animal revival research

Researchers have cryopreserved and then revived small animals called “Caenorhabditis elegans” with their memories intact. While humans are more complex, this shows that the components necessary for life and memory can be recovered after cryopreservation.

Read the research →

Mammal organ revival

Researchers have also been able to cryopreserve and rewarm a rabbit’s kidney. After the rewarming the organ was transplanted and demonstrated full functionality.

Read the research →

Brain cryopreservation

Research showed that a rabbit’s brain remained in near perfect condition after it was cryopreserved and rewarmed. The synapses, cell membranes, and intracellular structures remained intact, meaning everything associated with memory and learning was protected.

Read the research →

Our research

See what we’re working on

We’re actively researching and developing advanced human cryopreservation technologies to increase your chance for future revival.

See our R&D page

FAQs

Your questions, answered

How do you ensure long-term patient security?

For maximum long-term stability our patients are stored with a non-profit organization in Switzerland called the European Biostasis Foundation. Cryopreservation funds are managed by a Patient Care Trust which invests in very low risk investments (such as government bonds) to cover the running costs of keeping patients cryopreserved.

How long are patients preserved for?

Significant advancement is needed before the first patient can be revived, but there is no fundamental biological reason why it’s not possible. And once cryopreserved, time is no longer a problem. Our structure has been carefully designed so that patients can remain cryopreserved for however long it takes for revival to be feasible. No payments are made while you are in cryopreservation. The full funds needed for indefinite storage are included in the cost of cryopreservation.

Is it guaranteed that a cryopreserved patient can be revived in the future?

No. Anything that requires future technology to succeed cannot be guaranteed. Currently there is no known biological reason why revival of cryopreserved patients is impossible, but nevertheless cryopreservation can only provide a chance for life extension, not a guarantee.

What happens to cryopreserved patients if Tomorrow.bio ceases its operations?

Our cryopreservation plans were carefully constructed with the long-term security of patients in mind, so they would be unaffected if Tomorrow were to cease operations. Tomorrow’s cryopreserved patients are stored at the European Biostasis Foundation (EBF) in Switzerland. EBF is a non-profit organization with complete financial independence. The funds to keep patients cryopreserved are managed by a patient care trust which is a non-profit private benefit organization. This means that cryopreserved patients would not be affected if Tomorrow ever ceased its operations.

How much does cryopreservation cost?

Our cryopreservation plans were carefully constructed with the long-term security of patients in mind, so they would be unaffected if Tomorrow.bio were to cease operations. Tomorrow.bio’s cryopreserved patients are stored at the European Biostasis Foundation (EBF) in Switzerland. EBF is a non-profit organization with complete financial independence. The funds to keep patients cryopreserved are managed by a patient care trust which is a non-profit private benefit organization.

How many people have been cryopreserved?

Since 1967 around 700 people have been cryopreserved and have begun their wait for life extension technologies. About 4500 people are currently signed up to be cryopreserved once their current lifespan has ended.

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What is human cryopreservation and how does it work?