Talk:Brian Wowk

message: The attempt to delete this entry is inappropriate. I will be happy to work with anyone wishing to properly document Dr. Wowk's life. Dr. Wowk has been critical to cryonics, and to all advances in solid state organ cryopreservation made since he joined 21st Century Medicine, Inc., His work is critical in organ cryopreservation via vitrification for the following reasons (to name a few):
Wowk began the first systematic search for molecules to inhibit (hexagonal) ice growth by using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) to screen hundreds of compounds which might have this property. The basis of this work was a careful evaluation of naturally occurring ice growth inhibiting proteins and glycoproteins; molecules found in antarctic fishes and other organisms that live and reproduce in subzero conditions by supercooling their body water via "antifreeze proteins" which inhibit  primarily C-axis ice growth.   
Wowk's search included many polymers which lead to the discovery of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as an ice growth inhibiting compound. In a brilliant move, Wowk, working with organic chemist Eugen Leitl, modified the structure of PVA, shortening the length of the polymer chains and altering its structure, in an attempt to facilitate its bonding with both the A and C axis faces of hexagonal ice crystals. [Wowk B, Leitl E, Rasch CM, Mesbah-Karimi N, Harris SB, Fahy GM. Vitrification enhancement by synthetic ice blocking agents. Cryobiology. 2000 May;40(3):228-36.] This maneuver "apparently" succeeded (see below)and lead to the development of the first synthetic and the first commercially available ice inhibiting compound, X-1000 which is marketed by 21st Century Medicine, Inc., as Supercool X-1000 , as an adjunct to vitrification of organs, embryos, corneas, tissue culture cells, and other living systems. 
X-1000 was the critical breakthrough which allowed the development of the first truly stable vitrification solutions.[ Successful transplanation of kidneys after cooling to -45° C. Fahy GM, Wowk B, Wu J, Phan J, Rasch C, Chang A, Zendejas E, in: Cryobiology, (2004, vol. 48), "Cryopreservation of organs by vitrification: perspectives and recent advances", pg. 157-178.] These solutions could be cooled or rewarmed at physiologically attainable rates without "devitrifying" or forming lethal ice. Prior to Wowk's developoment of X-1000 and Z-1000 rewarming rats of in excess of 300 degrees/C/min were required to prevent devitrification of organs; a rate of rewarming that would require homogenous radio frequency (RF) heating. Uniform RF heating of inhomogenous solids such as organs or whole animals is extremely difficult in theory and has never been achieved in practice. 
Prior to the development of X-1000 devitrification (freezing) of the solution, tissue, or organ, especially during rewarming, was a uniformly lethal event that prevented any attempts at large scale solid organ cryopreservation from succeeding. Wowk, working with Dr. Gregory M. Fahy, recently became the first investigators to report the successful vitrification of a parenchymatous mammalian organ; in this case the rabbit kidney. The kidney not only survived vitrification and cooling to -135 degrees C, but was able to support the animal as the sole kidney after autologous reimplantation (and contralateral nrephrectomy).
Wowk was the first to appreciate that X-1,000 was not, as he had first thought, a true ice-blocking molecule; in other words, it did not act by binding to or covering ice crystal faces and preventing further ice growth. Rather, the molecule (and the subsequent ones Wowk discovered) appears to act by binding to ice nucleators, poorly understood molecular species which trigger ice growth in water, and are responsible for the heterogeneous nucleating point of ice (0 degrees C). The homogenous nucleating point of water is -40 degrees C. Many organisms appear to exploit these two "different" freezing points of water by either purging themselves of nucleating species, or producing molecules, which, like X-1000 block the activity of nucleators allowing them to survive routine and sustained to cooling nearly -40 degrees C.
Wowk went on to discover a completely new class of anti-nucleator molecules (which also proved critical to the recent breakthrough in kidney  vitrification) due to his brilliant insight into the molecular character of nucleating inhibitors. This lead to his discovery of the potent antinucleation and ice inhibiting capabilities of the polglycerols; low molecular weight polymers of glycerol which neutralize the activity of ice nucleators.[Wowk B, Fahy GM. Inhibition of bacterial ice nucleation by polyglycerol polymers. Cryobiology. 2002 Feb;44(1):14-23.] These molecules are marketed by 21st Century Medicine, Inc. as Z-1000.  This has lead to the ability to stabilize conventional colligative cryoprotectant solutions to the point where no ice formation occurs even after a year of storage at or near the glass transition point for these solutions. This innovation opens the door to the possibility of not only whole organ, but whole animal cryopreservation (i.e., suspended animation). Formerly, these solutions would have frozen within minutes to hours of slow (0.3 degree/C/min or less cooling or rewarming); now they are stable for 24 hours or more at deep subzero temperatures allowing sufficient time to cool to completely (indefinitely) stable temperatures (i.e., below the solidification or glass transition point (Tg)of the cryoprotectant solution: typically in the range of -135 to -145 degrees C) allowing for cooling and rewarmig of organs, and potentially even whole mammals, without the risk of lethal ice formation. 
Wowk is also responsible for the realization that ethylene glycol (EG) was likely a superior colligative cryoptotectant to polyethelene glycol which was then in use as a critical facilitator of vitrification in VS41A, the only organ vitrification solution which had shown promise prior to that time. Historically, EG was considered unacceptable as a cryoprotectant in mammalian tissues because it is metabolized into glycolic acid, glyoxylic, oxalic, and lactic acids which are toxic. EG intoxication also results in calcium oxalate crystals being deposited in the brain, lungs, kidneys, and heart. Wowk reasoned that these effects might not be problematic providing that EG was introduced and removed under conditions of deep hypothermia where the action of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the enzyme responsible for EG’s metabolism to toxic compounds, is inhibited. Further, the use of ADH inhibitors such as 4-methyl pyrazole, could be used to abolish EG toxicity completely and prevent injury to the animal from any residual EG remaining after cryoprotectant solution is washed out. 
By evaluating the membrane solubility of various cryoprotective compounds, Wowk realized that EG should be considerably less toxic than propylene glycol (PG)or even even dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) being used in VS41A and other vitrification solutions. The substitution of EG for PG proved essential in vastly reducing the toxicity of organ vitrification solutions while enhancing their glass forming (ice suppressing) ability. Subsequent testing of this hypothesis proved EG essential to organ vitrification and it is a principal ingredient in all 21st Century Medicine organ vitrification (cryopreservation) solutions. [Fahy GM, Wowk B, Wu J, Paynter S. Improved vitrification solutions based on the predictability of vitrification solution toxicity. Cryobiology. 2004 Feb;48(1):22-35.]
Wowk has also developed DSC evaluation techniques to detect and predict devitrification (ice formation) in organs undergoing cryopreservation for transplant. Wowk’s DSC technique was the first to identify small areas in organs otherwise well equilibrated with cryoprotectant, that were undergoing partial freezing, thus rendering them non-viable. [Cryopreservation of organs by vitrification: perspectives and recent advances. [Fahy GM, Wowk B, Wu J, Phan J, Rasch C, Chang A, Zendejas E. Cryobiology. 2004 Apr;48(2):157-78.]
Wowk is also critical to the evolution of the cryonics movement for the following reasons:
Wowk co-authored the book CRYONICS: REACHING FOR TOMORROW (CRFT) (Softcover, ISBN: 1880209004, Publisher: Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 1991) with Alcor President Michael Darwin. This book was used as the principal promotional tool by Alcor for almost a decade during the period of Alcor’s greatest growth and improvement in public acceptance of cryonics. CRFT was provided to all persons making inquiriesto Alcor and was used a primary outreach and educational tool about both cryonics and Alcor for the mass media by Alcor. With this publication, Wowk made major contributions not only to the scientific rigor with which cryonics was presented to the public, but also is largely responsible for redefining, literally, the definition of cryonics [see also: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/medicaltimetravel.htm]. Both Darwin and Wowk realized that the dictionary definition of cryonics as the (sic)"practice of freezing corpses or newly dead people for future cure and restoration to life" was incorrect. It was Wowk who vigorously promoted the idea of redefining cryonics, not as an attempted therapeutic action upon a corpse, but rather as an emergency procedure carried out on a patient who could not be resuscitated by contemporary medical criteria. The issue was really "when is a person dead?" Most people pronounced dead today are not truly “irreversibly” dead, rather they are simply not considered salvageable by contemporary medicine, mostly because prolongation of life in such patients would be medically futile and against the patient's wishes. [Whetstine L, Streat S, Darwin M, Crippen D, in: Critical Care, (2005, vol. 9), "Pro/con ethics debate: When is dead really dead?] Wowk sought to define death more rigorously, primarily by information-theoretic criteria which state that death (irreversible loss of function) does not occur until the molecular structure of the human bran is rendered undecipherable and not repairable by foreseeable technology which does not violate physical law (i.e. molecular nanotechnology).
This shift in the definition of cryonics resulted in more widespread media and public acceptance. Wowk stated (sic)"our disagreement is not over the possibility of reviving the dead: by definition that is impossible. Rather, we disagree over when to pronounce death and give up on a patient. Cryonics patients must be considered neither certainly dead nor certainly alive, but rather in the same condition as a patient receiving CPR on the way to a hospital: prognosis uncertain."
Wowk was a frequent and seminal contributor to Cryonics magazine from the 1980s throughout the 1990s.  contributing articles on cell repair technology (including some of the first illustrations and visualizations of hypothetical cell repair devices to be used in resuscitating human cryonics patients. See:
Wowk's contributions to both cryobiology and cryonics have continued with his groundbreaking and innovative patent applications allowing for safe, reliable, and economical isothermal storage of organs and human cryopatients. A major problem in organ and human cryopreservation is that vitrified materials are weak glasses. As such, like commercial silica glasses, they will crack or fracture if cooled too far below their point of solidification (i.e., the glass transition point, Tg) without proper annealing (stress relief). This phenomenon was first documented in human cryonics patients by Mike Darwin in his paper "Postmortem examination of three human cryonic suspension patients."  
Wowk has developed an elegant system which allows storage of objects as large as human bodies at a temperature just below Tg with virtually no fluctuation in temperature thus avoiding fracturing. The system consists of an insulated inner container which is placed in a liquid nitrogen cooled cryogenic Dewar. The interior can of the insulated inner container consists of heat conductive metal. A small heater, tightly controlled by computer, or other means, warms the interior of the inner container *homogenously* to the desired (dialed in) temperature. Temperature control by this means can be with 0.001 degrees C.[ Wowk, Brian ; et al., United States Patent Application, 20050016198, January 27, 200, Cryogenic storage system.]  Prior to the development of this "infinitely" adjustable isothermal storage technique, this arbitrary degree of homogenous temperature control was not possible. Wowk has worked extensively with the cryonics Timeship project  to develop this technology for human cryopreservation and holds a patent on a Timeship human cryopreservation storage module using this technology. [Iarocci, Michael ; et al., United States Patent Application, 20050005614, January 13, 2005, Cryogenic storage system with improved temperature control.]
Wowk is one of the seminal thinkers in both cryonics and cryobiology of both the late 20th and the early 21st Centuries. The above examples are only a few of his contributions. I will be happy to assist in a comprehensive biography of Wowk, including extensive biographical details of his early life, extensive writings on cryonics, and his contributions to diverse areas of cryobiology. Wowk has continued his deep involvement in cryonics through the present and recently authored an article on hydrogen sulfide as a possible adjunct to inducing reduced metabolism during stabilization of cryonics patients: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/H2S.html and an article restating his original arguments from 1991 on the definition and basis for cryonics: . Wowk has also recently written material explaining and defending procedures used in cryonics patients: 
Wowk is a major innovator and pioneer in the areas of tissue and organ cryopreservation, basic cryobiology, and cryonics theory and practice. His contributions to these areas are on a par with (or exceed) other leaders in these fields featured on Wikipedia such as Robert Ettinger, Mike Darwin, Dr. Gregory M. Fahy, and  Jerry D. Leaf.
Wowk’s long history of publications, scientific achievements, and public advocacy for cryonics establish him as both a public figure and a person of historical significance in both disciplines. He is unquestionably a suitable subject for an encylopedic entry.  
The issue of copyright over the photograph of  Dr. Wowk can be circumvented by me (necrobiologist) providing a photograph of Dr. Wowk to which I have copyright.
:Hey there, I would be willing to work with you on this article. I do not know a lot about him, but I had read of him, heard him speak, etc. and thought he deserved an entry. (Cardsplayer4life 10:46, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You wrote: "I am not skilled at Wikipedia". The two cornerstones of wikipedia is notability and verifiability. Wikipedia does not have peer review. Therefore wikipedia's articles may be based only on publications in reputable sources, which, in our case, would establish the notability of Wowk. There have been millions of scientists and engineers writing articles and making useful things. The question is how their impact was recognized.  mikka (t) 12:19, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

text: You are totally missing my point. Who of experts in the area (beyond his colleagues, management and buddies) recognizes his contributions and where this recognition is published? Popular science and websites as sources generally do not count, unless articles are by reputable, known people. Please avoid long essays in talk pages and directly address objections. Please understand that what you wrote is your opinion. I have no reasons to believe you. Because of internet anonymity I cannot tell you from a 12-year old pokemon fan, for good or for bad. Once again, published peer opinion, please. mikka (t) 21:19, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Old talk

message: Dr. Wowk did not like the previous versions of this article, so I have worked with him to produce a version that is acceptable to him. Today this totally re-written piece replaced the previous version mostly written by Cardsplayer4life, which is currently under review for deletion. I personally believe that Dr. Wowk is a very capable scientist whose work is noteworthy, and that he should be included in Wikipedia. I hope that the other editors find this version acceptable. I think Dr. Wowk is going to be even more recognized for his future work than for the work he has already done. --Ben Best 16:01, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Nice, thanks for the help! Since I do not know him personally, I did not know he was unhappy with the previous version(s). I just felt (from reading text he wrote and seeing him speak) that he deserved a wikipedia entry, and am happy he is now pleased with the version. (Cardsplayer4life 20:55, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Re-written article

message: A Google search for Brian Wowk yields 13,000+ hits, due to both popular and scientific citations.  Below are published books and selected articles (excluding scholarly articles, which are too numerous to list) that discuss or cite Wowk:
Wikipedia Articles
*Cryonics
*Molecular nanotechnology
Popular Media
*USA Today
*Reason magazine
*NanoNews Now
He has also been discussed in Genetic Engineering News (September 1, 2001), Popular Mechanics (September, 1998), and the New York Times (circa 1998).
Popular Books
*Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition
*Rapture: How Biotech Became the New Religion
*Why People Believe Weird Things
Cryobiology Text
*Life in the Frozen State
Optics Text (discusses Wowk’s Phased Array Optics]
*Wave Motion
Nanotechnology Books and Monographs
*Nanomedicine, Vol I: Basic Capabilities
*Nanotechnology: Basic Science and Emerging Technologies
*An Insight Into the World of Nanomedicine
*Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance (discussed in chapters other than his own)
Medical Physics Texts
(Although there are numerous citations, Wowk’s work in medical physics does not have the same encyclopedic significance as his ideas in nanotechnology or large system cryobiology.)
*Functional MRI
*Brain Mapping: The Methods, Second Edition
*Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: An Introduction to Methods
*Handbook of Medical Imaing: Processing and Analysis
*Advanced MR Imaging Techniques
*Pattern Recognition in Medical Imaging
*Magnetism in Medicine: A Handbook
*NMR Spectroscopy in Drug Development and Analysis
*The Physics of Three Dimensional Radiotherapy
--Ben Best 00:09, 23 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Some references indicating the significance of  Brian Wowk

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