About the UK Brain Banks network
The MRC is leading a UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC)-endorsed initiative to establish an independent and co-ordinated national network of existing UK brain tissue resources (banks).
Brain tissue banks store post-mortem brain tissue for diagnosis and research into disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). Recent medical research advances, particularly in genetics, bioinformatics and proteomics, mean that more searching and informative research questions can now be addressed as long as high quality brain tissue can be made available.
The network is led by Director Professor James Ironside, who runs an independently constituted and funded co-ordinating centre based in the University of Edinburgh.
The network aims to provide operational efficiency for the benefit of donors, researchers, and future patients. Member banks are being asked to help define and sign up to common ‘gold standards’ for brain tissue banking, including donation, access and availability, protocols and procedures - to make it easier to find out about brain banking and to donate brain tissue.
The network will also work to find ways to speed up the collection of tissue that is currently in short supply for research, including tissue from individuals unaffected by disorders of the central nervous system, as this is critical for use as a baseline for comparative studies. The MRC has recently issued a call for new research proposals to enhance the collection of this ’control’ tissue.