Cryonics Institute
Cryonics Institute main facility in Clinton Township, Michigan The Cryonics Institute (CI) is a non-profit provider of cryonics services located in Clinton Township, Michigan. As of 28-Aug-2005 CI had 546 Members, 223 of whom had funding and contracts in place to be cryopreserved upon legal death. As of 28-Aug-2005 CI had 69 human patients and 41 pets in cryonic storage.
History
The Cryonics Institute (CI) was co-founded by Robert Ettinger, widely known as the "father of cryonics" because his book THE PROSPECT OF IMMORTALITY is believed to have launched the cryonics movement. Robert Ettinger was CI President for over 25 years. The current President/CEO (since September 2003) is Ben Best.
In 1976 CI performed its first human cryopreservation. In 2003 an article was published in Sports Illustrated magazine claiming that the cryonics organization Alcor had mishandled the cryopreservation of baseball star Ted Williams. Despite the fact that the Cryonics Institute was not involve in the case, the media hype spurred the State of Michigan to place CI under a "Cease and Desist" order for six months. Finally the Michigan government decided to license and regulate the Cryonics Institute as a cemetery.
Policies
The Cryonics Institute has 12 Directors on its Board, 4 of whom are elected by the Members every year at the Annual General Meeting (usually held on the last Sunday of September). The Board then selects the Officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Unlike other cryonics organizations, the Cryonics Institute only allows its Members to arrange for whole body storage, not simply heads. Anyone can become an Option One Member by paying $1,250 and filling out a Membership form -- or become an Option Two Member by paying a $75 Initiation fee plus $120 per year (or $35 per quarter). An Option One Member has the priviledge of making arrangements for perfusion and storage in liquid nitrogen for $28,000, whereas an Option Two Member must pay $35,000. CI has not raised the $28,000 price or $1,250 fee since the time of its inception in 1976.
The Immortalist Society is a closely associated educational organization that publishes the magazine THE IMMORTALIST every two months. THE IMMORTALIST reports on activities of the Cryonics Institute along with other information related to cryonics and life extension.
Procedures
For most of its history the Cryonics Institute perfused its patients with the (antifreeze) cryoprotectant glycerol, but in the year 2000 a cryobiologist was hired --Yuri Pichugin, PhD -- who developed a vitrification mixture which is superior to glycerol in preventing ice formation. This vitrification mixture was first applied to two dogs of Members who wanted their pets cryopreserved in 2004 and early 2005. The first human patient received the vitrification mixture in the summer of 2005.
Also in the summer of 2005 the Cryonics Institute obtained some custom-built computer-controlled cooling boxes, with LabVIEW software which would allow controlled cooling to a temperature as low as −192°C (−313°F). This equipment was necessary for effective application of vitrification, because cooling should be as fast as possible prior to the solidification temperature of the vitrification mixture (about −125°C), but cooling should be very slow below that temperature to reduce cracking due to thermal stress.
The basic $28,000/$35,000 cryopreservation fees and contract with the Cryonics Institute does not include Standby or Transport. CI Members living outside of Michigan must normally provide extra funding to pay for funeral director services and shipping. CI Members wanting Standby and Transport from cryonics professionals can contract for additional payment to the Florida-based company Suspended Animation.
Instead of using dewars for patient storage, the Cryonics Institute keeps its patients in large fiberglass/resin liquid-nitrogen-filled "thermos bottles" which CI calls "cryostats". The first dewars were hand-built by Facilities Manager Andy Zawacki, but now the units are custom built by an external manufacturer. Costs for liquid nitrogen in the newest and most efficient cryostats is now down to below $100 per patient per year. (Cost reduction is greatly assisted by the use of a 3,000 gallon bulk tank for liquid nitrogen.)
See also
External links
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