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Introducing Tomorrow.Bio -

Tomorrow.Bio is a German company whose dynamic founder, Emil Kendziorra, used to work in the field of cancer research.

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The founder -

According to one BBC article, Kendziorra decided to switch fields because he found the progress on curing cancer “far too slow.”

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Work so far -

So far, the company has cryopreserved (frozen) “three or four” people and five pets; they have another 700 future clients already signed up.

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Expansion -

During 2025, they have plans to expand their operation to cover the whole of the US. Not everyone is a fan, however.

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Lack of proof -

Indeed, it is difficult to believe in the project’s potential success, given there is currently no proof that organisms with brain structures as complex as humans’ can be restored after death.

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How it works -

The cryopreservation process at Tomorrow.Bio works as follows. First, the patient must sign up with the firm.

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Ambulance dispatch -

Once a doctor has confirmed that the patient is within the final days of their life, the team dispatches a special ambulance to the patient’s location.

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Cryopreservation begins -

As soon as the patient is legally pronounced dead, the team moves them to the ambulance, where the process of cryopreservation begins.

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Cooling the body down -

The cryopreservation process itself involves cooling down the body to sub-zero temperatures and supplying it with cryptoprotective fluid.

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Specific cooling curve -

The cooling curve is very specific, and it involves cooling the body down very quickly until around -125°C (257°F), and then very slowly from -125°C to -196°C (384.8°F).

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Transfer to Switzerland -

Once the body is at the right temperature, it is transferred to a storage unit in Switzerland, where, according to the team, it can be stored indefinitely.

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The big idea -

The idea is that the cryopreservation can be reversed once scientists have found a cure for whatever caused the patient’s death in the first place.

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A second chance -

By warming the patient back up and potentially bringing them back to life, doctors would then have the opportunity to cure the original illness.

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Inspiration -

The work of this company has been inspired by cases in which hearts have stopped in freezing temperatures and then successfully restarted later.

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Criticisms -

The cryopreservation service on offer at Tomorrow.Bio has nonetheless come under heavy fire. The main criticism leveled at the project is that there is no evidence it will actually work.

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No previous cases -

Indeed, until now, no one has ever been successfully revived following a process of cryopreservation, and even if they were, it’s likely they would be severely brain damaged.

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The process of decomposition -

As soon as a human heart stops beating, the cells in the body start to decompose, and this causes an enormous amount of damage.

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Expert opinion -

According to neuroscience professor Clive Coen, if the body is warmed back up after cryopreservation, all the decomposition that was underway will just resume.

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Alternative focus -

It is Coen’s opinion that the better focus in this field is cryogenics: the long-term cryopreservation of specific materials like tissues and organs.

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Freezing organs -

It would be beneficial to a number of areas of medicine if we get to the point where organs can be frozen, banked, and then used later.

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Financial investment -

Another argument against cryopreservation is that it is not worth the huge financial investment given the unlikelihood of success.

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Financial investment -

Indeed, it is easy to imagine that relatives of people who decide to undergo this process may not be too pleased that their inheritance is being blown on such a tiny chance.

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Explaining the resistance -

According to Kendziorra, a lot of the resistance they are seeing is due to the fact that bringing someone back from the dead seems strange.

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Argument -

He argues that a lot of medical procedures, including organ transplants, seemed strange at first. If they work, however, it doesn’t take long for them to become mainstream.

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Promising research on animals -

Kendziorra also believes that there is encouraging proof within animal research that entire organisms can, in fact, transcend death.

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Roundworm study -

One study that he cites is related to a species of roundworm that was cryopreserved and successfully returned to full function.

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General trend -

Whether cryopreservation is a realistic goal or not, the interest in the field is symptomatic of a general boom in the field of life extension.

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Interest in longevity -

Indeed, for years now people have become increasingly interested in extending their time on earth. A particular focus has been on longevity.

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Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic -

Research suggests that this preoccupation with death and the desire to postpone it could be a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources: (BBC)

See also: The leading causes of death around the world

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