In a groundbreaking development, Australian company Southern Cryonics has cryogenically frozen its first client, marking the first known cryogenic preservation in the Southern Hemisphere. The client, an 80-year-old man from Sydney who died earlier this month, is now known as 'Patient One'.
We're thrilled to announce our first successful cryonics suspension with Patient 1! Thanks to our incredible team and partners for their swift and dedicated efforts. A major milestone for Southern Cryonics and CryoPath! 🚀❄️ #Cryonics #Innovation #TeamWork
May 20, 2024Philip Rhoades, the facility manager, has spent 14 years preparing for this moment, which he described as very stressful. "There were a number of different procedures to go through for different days, and there were a number of situations that might have gone wrong if we hadn't prepared properly," he told ABC News.
The process began immediately after the man's death on May 12, 2024. Rhoades, waiting in Sydney, quickly mobilised and collected bags of ice on his way to the hospital. The body was moved to a cold room and cooled to around 6 degrees Celsius before being transferred to a funeral home.
At the funeral home, doctors and perfusionists pumped a cryoprotectant, which acts like an anti-freeze, through the body to preserve cellular integrity. The body was then packed in dry ice, lowering its temperature to about minus 80 degrees Celsius, and transported to Southern Cryonics' Holbrook facility the next day.
Once at the facility, the body remained on dry ice until a delivery of liquid nitrogen arrived. The final stage involved cooling the body to minus 200 degrees Celsius in a controlled chamber, and then placing it in a specialised storage tank.
The entire process, which cost the client $170,000 (approximately Rs 94 lakh) with additional fees for medical teams, highlighted the logistical challenges involved. "With the people who are involved, all the different professionals, it's much easier if it happens in Sydney or possibly Melbourne. If you started getting out into the regional areas or the other states it starts becoming more difficult," Rhoades noted.
Cryonics remains a controversial and speculative field. Professor Bruce Thompson, head of the Melbourne School of Health Science, compared it to "Star Trek in play," expressing skepticism about the feasibility of reviving a human body. "Doing that for a whole human body — and it died for a reason at the end of the day — and then reversing that and then reviving that is a very, very long time away," he said.
Thompson also raised ethical concerns about charging vulnerable individuals for a process with no guaranteed outcome. However, he did not rule out possible success in the very distant future. "Never say never to anything because in my life I have seen some amazing things happen," he said.
Southern Cryonics' Holbrook facility currently holds one dewar that fits four bodies, with plans to expand its capacity to 40. More than 30 founding members have paid $50,000 each to secure a preservation space, and there are another 10 annual members on the list.
Having completed the first preservation, 72-year-old Rhoades hopes for continuity in the venture he has championed. "I'm a little bit anxious … so it would be nice if there was a 50-year-old someone who had similar skills or experience who might be able to take over if I get hit by a bus or something," he said.
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