As we near the Biostasis2022 Conference, Tomorrow Bio wants to introduce you to key figures in the field of cryonics, biostasis, and longevity research. Many of these individuals have presented at Biostasis Conferences in the past, some potentially presenting this year. In this article, Tomorrow Bio introduces you to International Cryomedicine Experts (ICE) co-founder Eric Vogt.
Get To Know Eric Vogt
Background and ICE
Originally born in California, Eric worked as a fire-fighter paramedic. He also worked in nuclear medicine conducting ‘stress tests’ alongside his main job. Eventually, he met Aaron Drake, another fellow paramedic who was also conducting stress tests. This sparked a lasting friendship that resulted in Aaron inviting Eric to join him in the field of cryonics after leaving nuclear medicine. Naturally, Eric accepted.
He found his way to Alcor, where at the time Aaron was the medical response director. There, Eric would work helping arranging the medical equipment and ordering supplies. Eventually, he was invited on his first cryopreservation case. Since then, they have both worked together in the field of cryonics, utilizing his skills as a firefighter paramedic and applied them to cryonics.
This led to the founding of ICE in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2017. The company provides standby team (SST) services within the United States as well as overseas. They cooperate with Alcor, and the Cryonics Institute (CI). UnlikeTomorrow Bio which offers an all-inclusive cryopreservation plan, other cryonics companies only provide long-term storage. Therefore, members of these organizations will often need to arrange third-party SST services with companies like ICE.
ICE is managed by both Eric and Aaron. Together, they have conducted over 100 cases combined of cryopreservation over the span of a decade. In working with the SSTs, Eric is acutely aware of the challenges facing cryopreservation, and works to improve the quality of skills necessary to carry out cryonics services. Utilizing his experience as a firefighter paramedic, he believes that this knowledge has helped him and ICE adapt to each individual case.
Biostasis2021 and Biostasis2020
Eric spoke at Biostasis2021 about the importance of standby teams, and the procedures they carry out to ensure the best possible cryopreservation. He highlighted the biggest challenges facing SSTs, and what is the best chance for an optimal cryopreservation. These challenges are centered around the time and distance it takes to reach a patient. In ideal cryopreservation cases, the SST is on standby near the patient. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes it takes hours, even days to reach a patient, which can affect the quality of cryopreservation.
In addition, he discussed how using field cryoprotection removes the urgency for transporting patients, and that this would be beneficial for future cases. Field cryoprotection replaces blood and tissue water using cryoprotective agents (CPAs) on-site after legal death. This is then followed by cooling to low temperature on site as well. This is the same procedure that Tomorrow Bio’s SST follows when carrying out our cryopreservation services.
He also had the opportunity to speak at Biostasis2020. He presented on standby stabilization and transport for SSTs, and the lessons learned in his experience to overcome challenges related to time and distance. In his experience as a paramedic, time and distance are always the biggest problems when it comes to emergency medical interventions. This is true for cryonics and cryopreservation. For Eric, in order to improve SST services, it is important to examine the challenges of time and distance, and how they can be eliminated to achieve optimal cryopreservation.
Conclusion
We look forward to Eric’s continued work to improve SST procedures. Tomorrow Bio is happy to learn more about his work and efforts to forward cryonics as an industry and service. In a field like cryonics, knowledge sharing is critical for development, and advancing research and services into the mainstream.
We have a series of interviews and biographical articles on figures in the sector including Max More, Roman Bauer, Peter Tsolakides, and more! If you want to learn more about the key figures in cryonics and biostasis, check out Tomorrow Bio Insight.
