Our History

A Brief History of Sparks Brain Preservation

 

Sparks Brain Preservation is a non-profit, mutual benefit organization with a mission of providing the highest quality brain preservation services possible for our members. On this page, we provide context about our company’s history for the benefit of prospective members and anyone in the general public who may be interested in our organization. 

 

Our organization was incorporated in 2005 as Oregon Cryonics by our founder, Dr. Jordan Sparks. In the early days, we focused primarily on education and providing local assistance to people who were signed up with cryonics organizations.

 

In 2014, we launched as an independent preservation service organization and began accepting patients from the general public. We preserved our first human patient in 2015, with our third patient being preserved in December of that year.

 

In addition to traditional cryonics, we offered aldehyde preservation, also known as chemical fixation, as one of the available preservation options. We were the first in the world to offer this service to the public, spearheading the application of a method that has been the gold standard for structural preservation in neuroscience research for more than a century.

 

During these early years, we were not actively seeking members, as we were primarily focused on research and building local capacity to perform high-quality preservation services.

 

In 2019, we moved to our new, upgraded facility on Marietta Street in Salem, Oregon.

 

In 2023, we changed our name to Oregon Brain Preservation, because of our use of aldehyde preservation instead of traditional cryonics. Aldehyde preservation has much better validation for preserving the structure of the whole brain.

That same year, we began building a more active research program with the goal of publishing scientific research that advances the state of the art in structural brain preservation.

 

In 2024, we launched a free research option, which was the first program in the world to offer no-cost preservation services to the general public. This initiative supports our long-term goal of making preservation accessible to as many people as possible, which is made feasible through philanthropic support. 

 

In 2025, we changed our name to Sparks Brain Preservation. This change is due to our expanded vision beyond the borders of Oregon, as we now offer services nationwide and even across the world, and we do not want prospective members to think they need to be physically present in Oregon to access our services. The name also honors the pioneering investment and vision of our founder, Dr. Sparks.  

 

Although Sparks Brain Preservation has been providing education and services for 20 years, we believe that we are just getting started. We strongly encourage you to become a member of our organization. It also would be very helpful if you help spread the word about us by telling your friends and family or by sharing on social media. 

 

Every member strengthens our organization and helps give more people a chance to avoid permanent death and potentially live on in the future. If you are interested in a free consultation or have any questions for us, please Contact Us.