Scientists Freeze and Restore Brain for First Time

Scientists from 21st Century Medicine (21CM) attempted to preserve the brain of a rabbit by applying a technique known as Aldehyde­stabilized cryopreservation (ASC). The team, led by recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate Robert McIntyre, wrote in a press release: “Using a combination of ultrafast chemical fixation and cryogenic storage, it is the first demonstration that near perfect, long-­term structural preservation of an intact mammalian brain is achievable.” They attained this by stuffing the vascular system of the brain with chemicals that are designed to interrupt the process of decay, and then froze it to ­135 degrees celsius. When the brain was warmed, the experts discovered that the majority of its cell membranes, synapses and structures were still intact and ready to function. A statement read: “The key breakthrough was the quick perfusion of a deadly chemical fixative (glutaraldehyde) through the brain’s vascular system, rapidly stopping metabolic decay and fixing proteins in place by covalent crosslinks” Kenneth Hayworth, the Brain Preservation Foundation president, said: “Every neuron and synapse looks beautifully preserved across the entire brain. “Simply amazing, given that I held in my hand this very same brain when it was vitrified glassy solid… This is not your father’s cryonics.” The Brain Foundation Preservation said of the next step: “Focus now shifts to the final Large Mammal phase of the contest which requires an intact pig brain to be preserved with similar fidelity in a manner that could be directly adapted to terminal patients in a hospital setting.” The final objective, according to the report published in Cryobiology, is to develop a freezing process which doesn’t dehydrate the brain, which would be suitable for human use sometime in the future.