What is a BioBank? A biobank is a place to store human biological samples for research intending to advance health care and medicine. The goal of the brain & biobank is to provide the scientific community with clinical data and brain samples preserved under optimal conditions for research, to advance discoveries that will inform treatment and prevention of dementias.   The study of brain tissue is crucial to our understanding of mental and neurological disorders. Brain donations allow researchers to study psychiatric and neurological disorders via tissue samples, which give direct access to the cells, proteins and genes of the brain.

The Dale E. Creighton Brain & BioBank

The DECBB represents a first-in-Canada initiative. A joint venture between LHSC, St. Joseph’s Health Care (SJHC), Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute, it was formally launched in 2021 but began its essential work in 2020. This program plans to accelerate scientific research by acting as a local and external resource for distributing human bio samples (brain tissue, blood, cerebrospinal fluid) and clinical data to local, national and international researchers in the field of neurodegenerative brain disorders.   

A truly collaborative effort spanning years of conversation and strategic deliberation, the DECBB is designed for people who want to contribute to vital research by donating a most precious resource: their brain. Complementing the brain tissue, detailed clinical histories, cognitive testing and imaging results made available to local as well as international researchers can better leverage data to inform future breakthroughs. 

From participating in international studies focused on improving our understanding of frontotemporal dementias, to local ones using innovative technology to profile abnormalities in afflicted brain tissue, DECBB has already positioned itself as a vital resource against the scourge of neurodegenerative disorders.