Tissue available

The Brain Bank aims to provide the highest-possible quality of brain tissue for neuropathological studies and for basic scientific research. Our procedures have ethical committee approval and we comply with the Data Protection Act.

We hold a large archive of brains, sufficient to support statistically valid case-control studies. Our material is stored as formalin-fixed/wax embedded blocks and is frozen, either at –20 °C or at –80 °C (flash-frozen). Tissue can be provided as slide-mounted sections, or as small blocks for neurochemistry or DNA and RNA analysis. Flash-frozen material has excellent histological preservation and is suitable for in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Case-control studies are matched for post-mortem delay and agonal status and are supplied blind. Clinical data related to the tissue supplied are made available on an anonymised basis.

Requests for tissue should be addressed to:

Linda Parsons
Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders
Institute of Neurology, University College London
1 Wakefield Street
London
WC1N 1PJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7837 8370
Fax: +44 (0)20 7278 4993