Cambridge Brain Bank

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  368992

• Research summary

  Cambridge Brain Bank

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  26/EE/0066

• Date of REC Opinion

  21 Apr 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  Whole brain, pituitary, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will be collected during the brain donation process, which can only proceed if fully informed consent has been obtained either from the donor in life or their Nominated Individual (NI)/Person in a Qualifying Relationship (PQR) after death. Spinal cord tissue will also be collected from donors with a disease diagnosis that involves the spinal cord, such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), or Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Cambridge Brain Bank uses different types of consent forms (with or without spinal cord) to make it explicit to the donor, their NI/PQR and the retrieving mortuary the types of tissue to be obtained.
  Samples and data are released only where appropriate consent has been obtained for the intended use, and where the proposed work has received ethical approval (either under the CBB’s overarching REC approval and governance processes, or via project-specific REC approval where required). All releases are subject to the CBB’s governance procedures and data minimisation, with samples and information provided only to the extent necessary for the approved purpose.

• Research programme

  The Cambridge Brain Bank exists to support a wide range of neuroscience research by making donated brain tissue available to approved studies. This includes research into how the brain normally works across the lifespan, as well as research into what changes in illness or injury. People can register with the Cambridge Brain Bank whether or not they have a neurological condition, by giving consent for their brain tissue to be donated after death. Donations from people without neurological conditions are just as important as donations from people with a diagnosis, because they provide a vital point of comparison that helps researchers understand what is typical and what is different.

• Storage license

  12315

• RTBTitle

  Cambridge Brain Bank

• Establishment organisation

  Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Establishment organisation address

  Hills Road

  Cambridge

  CB2 0QQ