Brains for Dementia Research is a world-class brain tissue resource, providing researchers with gold-standard human brain tissue along with clinical data to support their studies. With the support of Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, Brains for Dementia Research was set up in 2007 to establish a network of brain bank facilities across England and Wales.
UK-based studies using Brains for Dementia Research tissue and data will be covered by our ‘generic approval’, meaning studies can proceed without requiring their own ethical approval.
Prof Bart De Strooper, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute on the value of tissue from Brains for Dementia Research:
“Dementia is one of our greatest medical challenges, and across the world, researchers are rising to this challenge to improve our understanding of the underlying neurodegenerative diseases. We want to find effective treatments and ultimately find ways to prevent future generations from developing dementia. Our research takes many forms, including using donated human brain tissue from healthy people and those with dementia. In the past this has been challenging, but BDR has been instrumental in providing this much needed resource. Using BDR tissue has given us new insights into the diseases that cause dementia, helping us to make important steps towards the medicines of the future.”