After Life

Can deep frozen humans be brought back to life?    In the realms of science fiction, you may think… But in reality, some of the rich and famous are warming up to the idea.

Paris Hilton reportedly intends to resurrect herself and her pets, towards which end she is believed to have bought stocks in the Cryonics Institute in Michigan; rapper Kanye West wishes to have his brain and body frozen so that he can be resurrected in the future to ensure that his “creative genius is preserved”; ditto singer Britney Spears.  

Welcome to the world of Cryonics, which has caught the fancy of billionaires across the globe. Cryonics supports the theory that life can be restarted if its basic structure is preserved. The intriguing concept has become a matter of great debate among scientists across the globe, including in India.  For now, it can best be described as speculative hope.

Describing it as an interesting theory, Professor Gyaneshwer Chaubey of the Cytogenetics Laboratory (Department of Zoology) at the Banaras Hindu University says currently available technology can bring some organs back to working condition after freezing, but not a complete human body.

“The major problem is with the neural circuits which can’t be rejuvenated after freezing. Freezing without crystal formation is possible, but bringing back to normal is impossible at the moment. However, as technology improves, we may overcome this problem,” he explains.  In Cryonics, subjects are exposed to temperatures below -120°C to preserve tissues and minimize structural changes following cardiac arrest. The process begins by mechanically restoring respiration and circulation to the subject, rapidly cooling the body to temperatures of 10°C and eventually 0°C. Subsequently, the person’s blood is extracted, and a cryoprotectant mixture is introduced to prevent ice formation. The body is then further cooled to -120°C. Through the introduction of cryoprotective agents, cellular freezing behaviour is altered, influencing the rates of water transport, nucleation and ice crystal growth.  

Known for his extraordinary work in the fields of Biological Anthropology, Medical Genetics and Forensics, Prof Chaubey says the Cryonics concept is founded on several fundamental principles, the key being the capacity to halt chemical reactions in the body for extended periods at low temperatures and the reduction of ice formation through the use of vitrifying mixtures. “I would anticipate that the damage caused by clinical death and low temperatures can be reversed in the future, though not presently,” he says.  As and when treatment for a specific ailment becomes available in future, the Cryonically preserved patient’s body can be thawed, the cryoprotectant mixture removed, and necessary treatments administered to potentially bring them back to a living state, he explains.  

Pioneering effort

Way back in 1967, a significant milestone was reached when a man who had succumbed to an incurable form of cancer was cryogenically preserved using liquid nitrogen. That was the first of a series of such exercises, where individuals were cryo-preserved upon their demise, hoping to revive them in a future where advanced medical technology was capable of curing the diseases that had caused their deaths.

Over the years, approximately 390 individuals across the US opted for cryonic preservation of their bodies (data till 2018), paying anywhere between $50,000 and $200,000 for the process. “But so far, there is no concrete evidence to support the feasibility of their eventual revival,” says Prof Chaubey, who believes that the success of Cryonics could be a revolution in the realm of medical science.  

Flip side

The concept has its drawbacks. For one, Cryonics primarily serves to decelerate cellular metabolism, but it does not necessarily halt or slow down the natural ageing process of cells. This means an individual undergoing cryopreservation may continue to age, even in a cryonic state.

Secondly, if and when resurrection after Cyronics succeeds, it could trigger a massive surge in the world’s population, bringing with it multiple economic and environmental challenges.  

Wood Frog connection  

Dr Anant Narayan Bhatt, Senior Scientist at a prestigious central government organisation (name of the organisation withheld due to the sensitivity of the nature of work) explains the working of Cryonics, with the wood frog at the centre of it.  

The wood frog is found all over eastern United States and Canada, and is very common in New York. Since these places are apt to freeze in winter, the wood frog needs to adapt. “So, when temperatures begin to drop, the frog finds a log or something to hide under, and its body starts to store up sugars, urine and other chemical substances. These chemicals protect the frog’s tissues, heart and other organs when the temperature gets below freezing. At this point, the wood frog is not just hibernating, it is actually mostly frozen – like a frogsicle,” explains Bhatt.  

The amazing thing, he says, is that while frozen, the frog stops breathing and its heart can go for weeks without beating. “But even though it shows no signs of life, it is not actually dead – its life is just on ‘pause’ for the whole winter. Once the weather warms up in the spring, the frog thaws out, its heart starts beating again and it hops right back to life in the swamp.”  

According to Dr Bhatt, lots of other amphibians and even some reptiles can do this too, but not quite as well as the wood frog. “Biologists study these animals to learn everything they can about how their bodies can survive freezing. They have a technical word for it: Cryobiosis. Some researchers of Cryobiosis want to figure out how to freeze and preserve human organs so that they can be used to help those who need organ transplants,” he adds.  

Anything is possible  

Prof. Dr VN Mishra, Professor & Head of Neurology, Institute of Medical Sciences at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), points out that for ages, humans have been trying to preserve their dear departed in various forms – rock paintings, statues and Mummies for instance. “None of these were done in the hope that the dead would come alive again, but there is evidence that Mummies were preserved with utensils, food and water, signalling hope that these items would be useful in the future.”

He notes that while it isn’t proven at the moment that deep freezing can keep the body in readiness for renewed life, there are deadly viruses which have been deep frozen, buried in the permafrost in the Himalayan ranges for millions of years. “It is now established that such viruses can come alive with global warming and permafrost melting. If they do so, we may see pandemics bigger than COVID-19. At present I can’t say the same for the possibility of humans being able to come alive after a long freeze. All the same, we don’t know what may happen in the future,” says Prof Mishra, whose clinical interests include Neuro-degeneration, Brain Imaging and Neurophysiology. 

Vitrification  

Vitrification transforms a substance into a glassy state, distinct from the crystalline structure of ice or other vitreous solids. Vitrification can be seen in materials like Amber. Rapid cooling of sucrose during vitrification results in a texture resembling Cotton Candy, whereas Rock Candy is the result of a gradual cooling process.

Rabbit study  

In a study carried out by experts in the West, a rabbit kidney was cooled to an extremely low temperature of -135°C, and subsequently warmed up. The vitrified kidney was then transplanted into a recipient rabbit that lived for 48 days with a working kidney before being killed for research purposes. Remarkably, the transplanted kidney exhibited highly efficient functioning, comparable to a normal kidney, leading to the survival of the rabbit that received the transplant.

Cryonics primarily serves to decelerate cellular metabolism, but it does not necessarily halt or slow down the natural ageing process of cells. This means an individual undergoing cryop3reservation may continue to age, even in a cryonic state”  — Prof Gyaneshwer Chaubey, BHU