The main goal of this project is to support research on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) by collecting brain donations and housing, characterizing, and distributing human postmortem brain tissue samples for research on this disorder. Donated brain specimens will be carefully stored, evaluated, and shared with qualified researchers through the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (HBTRC) and the University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank (UMBTB)—two of the largest sites within the National Institutes of Health NeuroBioBank (NBB). These samples will be distributed through the NBB online portal. Recent funding cuts have created significant challenges for Alzheimer’s research. Although powerful novel technologies are bringing new insights on the nature of brain changes underlying Alzheimer’s disease and opening new venues for prevention and treatment, these advances depend on access to large and diverse collections of donated tissue. To meet this need, our project will focus on recovering brain donations from a wide range of communities across the United States, with special attention to groups that have been historically underrepresented in research. Our ultimate aim is to strengthen rigorous, high-impact studies of brain disorders and help pave the way for future treatments that target the underlying biological mechanisms across different conditions.
