2011-09-30T06:59:18-07:00
Resource:Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Banks
Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Banks
uncurated
http://www.edinburghbrainbanks.ed.ac.uk/
The purpose of these three Banks (SUDDEN DEATH BRAIN AND TISSUE BANK, HIV BRAIN AND TISSUE BANK, and CJD BRAIN AND TISSUE BANK) is to collect donated samples from the brain and other organs of the body during post mortem examination, and to make these available for medical research. All the samples stored in the Edinburgh Banks are fully authorized for research by families and ethically approved for research use in accordance with the terms of current UK Human Tissue legislation.
During the last 100 years or so, much of our knowledge of brain disorders has come from the study of post mortem tissues, based on identifying the differences between diseased and control (normal) brains. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment, as well as understanding the genetic background, of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease and the effects of head injury have all depended on research using Brain Bank resources in different countries.
Brain Banking in Edinburgh commenced in 1990, focusing specifically on HIV infection of the brain and on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Significant progress in understanding these two brain infections has resulted both from the research in Edinburgh and from the work of scientists worldwide who have used tissue samples from the Edinburgh Brain Banks. These resources proved vital in establishing variant CJD as a new disease, different from the classic sporadic form and in demonstrating the brain changes in pre-AIDS and AIDS, particularly in drug abusers.
In 2005 a third brain bank was established in Edinburgh with the specific aim of collecting donated normal brain tissue samples from the forensic post mortem service since there is a worldwide shortage of such material. This Bank also collects samples donated from individuals with psychiatric disorders or a history of head injury or of drug and alcohol addiction.
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Resource:Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Banks
2010-11-04T00:00:00
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Medical research council
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Human
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European Biobanks; Edinburgh; UK
University of Edinburgh; Scotland; United Kingdom
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Tissue bank
Brain bank
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File:Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Banks.PNG
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