This scientist rewarmed and studied pieces of his friend’s cryopreserved brain
A decade after death, biopsies show minimal structural damage, reviving reanimation hopes.
Cryobiologist Greg Fahy has published findings from a unique, decade-long study on the cryopreserved brain of his friend, longevity researcher L. Stephen Coles. Coles, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2014, had his brain vitrified at Alcor's Arizona facility, perfused with cryoprotectant chemicals and stored at -146°C. His specific request was for Fahy to study the effects, particularly checking for the structural cracking that typically destroys organs cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures (-196°C). The recent analysis of biopsied samples revealed the brain's ultrastructure is "astonishingly well preserved," with visible cellular detail and an absence of the feared cracking, suggesting the vitrification protocol was successful.
While Fahy is optimistic this preservation quality could one day support reanimation, other experts like University of Minnesota's John Bischof caution that "this brain is not alive." The immediate scientific value lies elsewhere. The study provides neuroscientists with a novel method to examine exquisitely preserved brain anatomy. More pragmatically, it advances the field of cryopreservation for organ banking. The techniques that prevented ice crystal formation and structural damage in Coles's brain are directly applicable to preserving kidneys, livers, and hearts for transplantation, potentially solving critical organ shortage issues. This research bridges the gap between speculative cryonics and tangible medical biotechnology.
- Greg Fahy found L. Stephen Coles's brain, cryopreserved at -146°C for a decade, shows 'astonishingly well preserved' cellular structure with no cracking.
- The study provides a new tool for neuroscientists to examine brain anatomy and advances cryopreservation techniques for transplantable organs.
- While reanimation remains a distant, controversial goal, the research demonstrates significant progress in vitrifying large, complex biological tissues.
Why It Matters
Advances cryopreservation science for practical organ transplantation while providing a rare, detailed look at long-term structural preservation of neural tissue.