The UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Brain Bank is committed to advancing the understanding of Multiple Sclerosis.
The UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Brain Bank (MSBB) serves as a repository for tissue donated for research purposes. It is committed to advancing the understanding of MS by acting as a source of tissue for use by qualified investigators to conduct research on the causes and features of multiple sclerosis.
Many of the most important advances in our understanding and treatment of MS over the last few decades have depended on the study of well characterized, carefully curated human brain tissue provided by brain banks. The meticulous study of donated tissues from people who lived with MS has been one of the most important sources of insights into disease mechanism. Studying MS tissue has been key to our understanding of the inflammatory aetiology of the disease, the mechanisms regulating myelin regeneration, and also neuronal loss in progressive MS, as well as yielding insight into several experimental treatments being used or developed for MS.
MS disease tissue donation (including brain, spinal cord, spleen, lymph nodes and retinae) is one of the most valuable contributions to research a person diagnosed or their family can make, and donated tissue will continue to be critical to our future discoveries and understanding of MS. The study of human tissue continues to move us closer to therapies that limit the lasting effects of relapses, promote myelin repair and protect neurons.
MSBB Code of Ethics
Informed Consent
We honor the gift of donation and treat donors, their bereaved families, and all tissue with care and respect. The donation is voluntary, and we respect the decisions of donors and their families. Informed consent is provided by the donor’s next of kin. For questions about the MS Autopsy Program, please contact us at
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 415-340-0278.
Procedure
After the MSBB is notified of a donor’s death, rapid procurement is arranged. The tissue is analyzed at the MSBB and stored in the repository for future research. The neuropathology report is shared with the next of kin.
Privacy
We protect the confidentiality of our donors. Tissue maintained in the MSBB is deidentified and only authorized researchers have access to identifiers. Future recipients will not receive direct identifiers with specimens.
Contact
For more information about the MSBB and the autopsy program, and the research it conducts, please contact us at
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 415-340-0278.
Contact Information
Sandler Neurosciences Center
675 Nelson Rising Lane
San Francisco, CA 94143-3206
Phone: 415-340-0278
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Stephen Fancy, PhD
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Chu-Yueh (Joanne) Guo, MD
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ari Green, MD
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)