Use tissue from the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank

The Parkinson's UK Brain Bank provides tissue to researchers in the UK and around the world who are working towards a cure for Parkinson's.

It's the UK's largest brain bank dedicated to Parkinson's, and is based at Imperial College London.

We collect the brain, spinal cord and a sample of cerebrospinal fluid from people with and without Parkinson's after death.

The Parkinson's UK Brain Bank is currently supporting more than 100 research projects. And we have more than 6,000 registered potential donors.

Why use human brain tissue? | High quality tissue - fast | More information, better research | How do I request tissue?

Why use human brain tissue?

Parkinson's is a progressive condition that develops over time. Animal models can help us study certain aspects but they cannot recreate the complex changes that gradually spread throughout the Parkinson's brain.

It's vital that we study the whole brain from people with and without the condition, as well as investigating what's happening inside individual nerve cells.

High quality tissue - fast

Our tissue is:

• free - unlike other banks, we don't charge researchers for tissue
• high quality - we collect most tissue within 24 hours of death
• fast - we aim to supply tissue within 4 weeks
• neuropathologically diagnosed - according to the latest criteria

And we can:

• issue ethical approval for projects that fit our research criteria - saving you time
• provide tissue suitable for all modern research techniques - including snap frozen and fixed samples
• offer expertise and training to researchers working with human tissue

More information, better research

We don't just supply brain tissue. We also know a lot about our donors, which means we can provide tissue to match your project.

Donated tissue come with clinical notes from the healthcare team. And every donor provides details of their symptoms, medical history, lifestyle and medications.

This makes our offer of tissue and information unique.

How do I request tissue?

Requesting tissue is easy. Just fill in a brain bank tissue request form (PDF, 251KB).

And send your completed form to brainbank@imperial.ac.uk

Your request will be reviewed by our management board and a decision made within 3 weeks.

We won't charge you for tissue samples other than the necessary costs for tissue preparation and transport.

And as a National Research Ethics Service (NRES) approved research tissue bank, we can grant ethical approval for peer-reviewed projects.

This means you won't need to gain separate ethical approval to use tissue we supply.

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