The Brain Preservation Foundation is an American
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
with the goal of promoting validated scientific research and technical services development in the field of whole brain preservation for long-term static storage, as well as working on the accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of this technology.
It also provides public education on topics such as the neural foundations of memory, brain scanning techniques, brain preservation, and mind uploading.
Prizes
In 2010, the Brain Preservation Foundation launched an
inducement prize contest
An inducement prize contest (IPC) is a competition that awards a cash prize for the accomplishment of a feat, usually of engineering. IPCs are typically designed to extend the limits of human ability. Some of the most famous IPCs include the Long ...
with the goal of improving the long-run preservation of human brains. The purpose of preserving a human brain is to allow the mind uploading of the preserved brain's long-term memories if the technology becomes available to do so in the long-run future. The requirements of the Brain Preservation Technology Prize stated that the
connectome
A connectome () is a comprehensive map of neural connections in the brain, and may be thought of as its " wiring diagram". These maps are available in varying levels of detail. A functional connectome shows connections between various brain ...
of a brain had to be preserved in a way that would allow for long-term storage (>100 years).
On February 9, 2016, the Small Mammal Brain Preservation Prize was officially won by the cryobiology research company
21st Century Medicine
21st Century Medicine (21CM) is a California cryobiological research company which has as its primary focus the development of perfusates and protocols for viable long-term cryopreservation of human organs, tissues and cells at temperatures be ...
. On March 13, 2018, the Large Mammal Brain Preservation Prize was officially won, again by 21st Century Medicine.
See also
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Cryonics
Cryonics (from ''kryos'', meaning "cold") is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains in the hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism by the mainstream scien ...
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21st Century Medicine
21st Century Medicine (21CM) is a California cryobiological research company which has as its primary focus the development of perfusates and protocols for viable long-term cryopreservation of human organs, tissues and cells at temperatures be ...
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Information-theoretic death
References
{{Cryonics
Non-profit organizations based in the United States
Cryonics organizations in the United States
2010 establishments in the United States