The Story of Kelly you read in Part 1 of the article is one among those stories of people who came back to life when breathing and pulse was too faint to be recognized. But the common factor in all these stories is that they were all in someplace cold. As soon as the cells don’t receive oxygen and nutrients, they initiate self-destruction. Meanwhile, under cold conditions, this process is delayed which enables reducing the cells metabolic needs. This enables the brain and other organs to avoid damage for a longer period than otherwise in room temperature.
Some of the methods being experimented on for reanimation
Stem cells (SCs)
Stem cell has a unique ability to develop into specialized cell types in the body. SCs are observed in embryonic and adult stages with different functions and is also the earliest type of cell. Scientists are hoping to use stem cells to reverse death. This trial is initiated by a Philadelphia based Bioquark, (named ReAnima Project) which aims to inject stem cells into the spinal cord of clinically brain-dead people. The patients also receive an injected protein blend, electrical nerve stimulation and laser therapy targeted towards the brain. The main goal is to grow neurons and prompt connection to each other and bringing the brain back to life.
The study was launched in Rudrapur, in India (April 2016) but patients were never enrolled. The study was shut down by November 2016 by regulators as India’s drug Controller General didn’t grant clearance. But Ira Pastor, the chief executive officer of Bioquark said that setback faced in India won’t stop the project. In fact, the team would try for trials outside India. So far, no updates have been provided for these trials.
Cryonics
Cryonics is a technique of deep-freezing bodies in liquid nitrogen of recently deceased to revive them later with scientific advances (molecular nanotechnology) in the future. So far, embryos have been revived and no humans have been revived. Cryonics also called cryopreservation which uses the temperature below -130˚C to store brain information to allow future revival of the cryopreserved person. Presently, they are 4 main institutes around the world. They are Alcor (US), Cryonics Institute (US), KrioRus (Russia), and Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute (China). All the cryonics storage has deceased people stored in liquid nitrogen from all over the world.
After having covered some of the methods developed to bring back the dead to life. Another window of opportunity is to provide a chance for survival for trauma patients suffering from gunshot wounds, stoke etc.
Emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) is a medical procedure in an emergency department in which the patient is cooled into suspended animation for an hour to prevent death from ischemia like blood loss due to a shooting or stabbing.
EPR is done by cooling the body rapidly around 10 to 15˚C (to decrease the metabolism and ceasing brain activity) and replacing all their blood with ice cold saline. It buys time for resuscitative surgery be using hypothermia, drugs, and fluids. EPR is like deep hypothermic circulatory arrect (DHCA), but the procedures and purposes of EPR vary from DHCA. For instance, DHCA induces hypothermia for preplanned surgery meanwhile EPR aids in an emergency procedure- which is performed to prevent rapid blood loss and to increase the chance of survival once the wounds are stitched up. EPR trials on humans began in the 2010s.
Graphic: The Guardian
Hibernation is a method adopted by animal’s conserve energy under drastic weather conditions or when they face a lack of food. It consists of physiological changes like change in body temperature and decreased metabolism. If humans could be placed in a similar suspended animation instead of placing them on ice (or switch their blood with freezing saline) to protect the brain and other organs. Given its advantages, cooling victims has its own disadvantages as making it harder to restore to a normal heart rate and the additional need of equipment’s- which marks it difficulty to be used outside a hospital. This area of research is still being explored. Imagine a drug derived from a compound found in hibernating animal which is carried in ambulances that could work similarly to a bucket of ice but faster in a single injection.
Some of the research include:
- The cells and tissues of hibernating animals that survive very cold temperatures which could help us to preserve and transport human tissues for transplantation etc.
- The hibernators muscle does not undergo any weakening with long periods of not moving which could aid us to avoid muscle deterioration due to bedrest or treating muscle disorders.
Zombies are certainly fake, except the ones showcased in your favorite movies and TV shows. But some studies do hint the possibility of spontaneous resurrection. Hundreds of years of failed experiments but some scientists have not given up and continue to reanimate human corpses. While this area of research is heavily criticized and has ethical issues, the chances of increasing the survival of trauma patients is indeed beneficial.
Read the 1st Part of the article – Can We Raise The Dead ?! – PART 1
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