International Workshop on Brain Banking

International Workshop on Brain Banking
March 11-12, 2002
Pooks Hill Marriott, Bethesda, MD

Co-sponsored by NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Drug Abuse, Office of Rare Diseases and National Institute of Aging

The workshop focused on improving and coordinating brain banks that collect and distribute human tissue for research (nervous as well as other tissues). The supply and quality of tissues from healthy and pathological donors/autopsy specimens are key components of the success of these banks. New techniques involving molecular biology, genomics and proteomics require special collection conditions as well. Speakers identified the current problems, challenges and the emerging trends in brain banking and provided recommendations for establishing cooperative, multicenter networks for banking neural tissue. The primary goal of the workshop was to bring together expert neuroscientists to identify uniform standards for clinical and neuropathological diagnoses and for quality assurance, and to facilitate the establishment of several standing advisory committees, each focused on a specific disease category. The following issues have been discussed: (a) identification of the areas of greatest demand for brain banking; (b) establishment of standards for quality assurance in brain banking; (c) standardization of dissection and preparation protocols; (d) formation of advisory panels to standardize neuropathological and clinical diagnoses and to define inclusion and exclusion criteria for cases and specimens; (e) improvement of information and specimen exchange between brain banks; and (f) development of recommendations for the formation of networks of brain banks. The presentations were followed by an open discussion on formulating guidelines for researchers and preparation of new research initiatives on the subject.