Starting with the basics

Cryopreservation is a technique used to preserve cells, tissues, or entire organisms at extremely low temperatures. Cryonics is a specific application of that technique focused on preserving humans or animals after legal death, in the hope that future technologies may enable revival.

Both processes rely on the same core principle: that extreme cold can halt biological decay and maintain cellular integrity over long periods. But their contexts and goals are different.

To understand this distinction, it helps to look at how cryopreservation is already used in modern biology, and how cryonics seeks to push those boundaries further.

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What cryopreservation is and where it’s already being used

Cryopreservation is a well-established process used in laboratories, fertility clinics, and biobanks worldwide. It involves cooling biological material to temperatures as low as -196°C, typically in liquid nitrogen, to stop all biological activity.

Examples of cryopreservation in practice include:

- Freezing sperm, eggs, and embryos for fertility treatments

- Preserving blood or stem cells for transplants

- Storing plant seeds and tissues in gene banks

- Banking skin, corneas, or other tissues for future use

Cryopreservation makes use of cryoprotective agents to prevent ice crystal formation, which can damage cells. With the right protocols, tissues can be stored for years without significant degradation.

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What cryonics is, and what it aims to do

Cryonics is the use of cryopreservation to preserve an entire human or animal after legal death. Unlike conventional uses of cryopreservation, which involve isolated cells or tissues, cryonics seeks to preserve the whole organism — including the brain — with the aim of potential revival.

This process includes:

- Stabilizing the body immediately after legal death

- Replacing blood with a cryoprotective solution to reduce ice damage

- Gradual cooling to cryogenic temperatures for long-term storage

- Maintenance in liquid nitrogen tanks until future revival is theoretically possible

Cryonics assumes that if future science can reverse the biological damage of disease, aging, and cryopreservation itself, then revival and repair may one day be achievable.

This is not a guaranteed outcome. It is an open question, and one that requires both technical humility and scientific optimism.

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Why the distinction matters

The key difference is that cryopreservation is widely accepted, regulated, and practiced in clinical and scientific contexts. Cryonics, by contrast, operates in a legally and ethically complex space. It sits at the intersection of death care, speculative technology, and personal choice.

Because cryonics begins after legal death, it does not fall under traditional healthcare regulations in most countries. Instead, it is often treated like a form of body disposition, similar to burial or cremation, with additional layers of documentation and legal planning.

This difference shapes how institutions approach it. For example:

- A fertility clinic may use cryopreservation to store embryos before IVF

- A cryonics provider like Tomorrow.bio uses cryopreservation to store full bodies or brains of individuals who have chosen to preserve their chance at future life

Both rely on similar technology, but their goals and timelines could not be more different.

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About Tomorrow.bio

At Tomorrow.bio we are dedicated to advancing the science of cryopreservation with the goal of giving people a second chance at life As Europe’s leading human cryopreservation provider we focus on rapid high-quality standby, stabilization and storage of terminal patients preserving them until future technologies may allow revival and treatment.

Our mission is to make human cryopreservation a reliable and accessible option for everyone We believe that no life should end because current capabilities fall short.

Our vision is a future where death is optional where people have the freedom to choose long-term preservation in the face of terminal illness or fatal injury and to awaken when science has caught upInterested in learning more or becoming a member

📧 Contact us at hello@tomorrow.bio

‍🌐 Visit our website www.tomorrow.bio‍

🤝 Schedule a call with our team Book a consultation

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