A new facility could eventually allow humans to ‘pause’ their bodies until the future arrives.
TimeShift describes itself as the world’s first cryopreservation facility and is based on cutting-edge AI and new cryopreservation techniques.
If the idea comes to fruition, cryopreservation could allow cancer patients to ‘freeze’ themselves until medicine advances, or allow humans to ‘outlive’ the apocalypse – as seen in Futurama.
AI could also be utilised to help an ‘avatar’ of the frozen person’s likeness speak with their family and friends while their real body is frozen.
The facility has been proposed by Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, a generative AI scientist and anti-ageing researcher, and Hashem Al-Ghaili, a molecular biologist.
Hashem said: ‘The project is still in the R&D phase. The primary focus right now is to continue optimising the cryopreservation process developed by Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov.
‘Once fully optimised, we plan to test it on animal models and proceed from there.
‘Traditional cryopreservation methods are ineffective and lead to cell death; however, the new method is designed to avoid this problem.
‘After optimising the process, the next step will involve testing its efficacy and safety. There is no specific timeframe, but if everything goes as planned, a functional prototype could be ready within 5 to 8 years.’
TimeShift also hopes to offer ‘pre-hibernation enhancements’, which could allow those frozen to wake up healthier.
Dr Alex Zhavoronkov said: ‘Over the past 10 years, multiple technologies have advanced in different laboratories around the world, and it is now a matter of multi-parameter optimisation for rapid cryogenic freezing and rewarming protocol.
‘Getting to the dream of gaining the ability to see more life is now a matter of time.’
Hashem Al-Ghaili added: ‘By combining AI and cryopreservation, we’re making it possible for families to remain close, even across decades.”
Beyond preserving individuals, TimeShift could transform industries by enabling better organ preservation, safeguarding biodiversity, and ensuring humanity’s continuity during disasters.
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