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MS Society Tissue Bank

A tissue bank researcher stands in a lab in front of a tray of tissue samples
Lead researcher:
Professor Richard Nicholas
Based at:
Imperial College London
MS Society funding:
£1,534,543
Status:
Active

About the project

The MS Society Tissue Bank allows people to donate their brain and spinal cord tissue for MS research after their death. It's a vital resource, with donated tissue helping scientists around the world advance our understanding of MS.

We have supported the tissue bank since 1998. Since then, it has provided tens of thousands of tissue samples to hundreds of research projects.

The tissue bank allows researchers to answer questions that can only be addressed using tissue from people with MS, such as:

  • What cells and molecules are present in the human brain?
  • Are those cells and molecules responsible for the damage seen in MS?
  • Are they useful for repairing the damage instead?

We fund the tissue bank in partnership with Imperial College London and Parkinson’s UK. Through our investment, Professor Richard Reynolds and his team are able to support the global MS research community.

How will it help people with MS?

Research using human tissue samples is vital to efforts to find new effective treatments. MS is a uniquely human condition, and to understand its causes and development, researchers need to look at how it affects the human brain.

The MS Society Tissue Bank enables researchers across the world to do this. So far, samples from the tissue bank have been used in several major discoveries, including investigations of how the immune system is involved in MS.

The difference you can make

The MS Society Tissue Bank relies on brain and spinal cord donations from people with and without MS. Visit the Tissue Bank website find out more and download a donor information pack

If you have any questions or would like more information you can call 020 7594 9734 or request information by post:

MS Society Tissue Bank

Division of Brain Sciences

Imperial College London

Hammersmith Hospital Campus

160 Du Cane Road

London W12 0NN

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