European Cryonic Law and Policy Research Initiative

A journey through space and time: by Jordi Sandalinas, lawyer. Addressing legal and policy issues around longevity, lifespan, transhumanism, health, bioethics and cryonics in Europe.

In appreciation

The importance of Alcor

Alcor is the oldest and largest cryonics organisation in the world — and the clearest picture of what a dedicated cryopreservation centre can be. This page gathers why we appreciate it, its key numbers, its videos and its official links.

Vitals

1972

founded in California by Fred and Linda Chamberlain

1994

based in Scottsdale, Arizona since then

263

people in cryogenic care

1,500+

members in 28 countries

100+

pets also preserved

years of continuous work

Figures from alcor.org — patient numbers and prices change over time; checked 18 October 2026.

Why it is the model

One centre, one chain of care
Standby, surgery, vitrification, long-term storage and daily monitoring all happen under the same roof, so nothing is lost between handovers.
Round-the-clock response
Its Deployment and Recovery Team is on call anywhere in the world — response time is the single biggest factor in preservation quality.
Research with real medical uses
Work on vitrification and organ and tissue preservation feeds directly into transplant medicine, and the results are shared openly.
Financing built to last decades
Care is funded through a dedicated Patient Care Trust, so storage does not depend on that year's income.
Open governance
Board meetings are open to members and statistics and protocols are published — exactly the transparency regulators ask for.

Preservation is normally financed with a life insurance policy rather than savings: about USD 220,000 for whole-body preservation and USD 80,000 for neuropreservation.

Visit alcor.org See the EU centre proposal

Watch

Alcor videos

Cryonics Testimonial: Alcor Member Andrew PopperAlcor Cryonics · 11 November 2015 · plays through YouTube's own player

A New Tomorrow — Exploring Cryonics with The Alcor Life Extension FoundationDocumentary · 13 May 2021 · plays through YouTube's own player

Cryopreservation Explained | ExplorerNational Geographic · 1 April 2016 · plays through YouTube's own player

Life extension through cryo-preservation — Alcor CEO interviewInterview · Date not stated · plays through YouTube's own player

Official links

Follow Alcor directly

Alcor Cryonics — official YouTube channel
Checked: Channel live, checked 18 October 2026
Rights: Standard YouTube licence — videos play through YouTube's own player; do not download or re-upload.

Every summary on this page is written in our own words. Facts come from alcor.org (all rights reserved — we link to it instead of copying it) and were checked on 18 October 2026. Patient numbers and prices change over time — always verify them on the official site before quoting them. The videos above play through YouTube's own player under the standard YouTube licence.

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