About Us

The Brain and Body Donation Program is a vital research initiative focused on understanding aging and age-related diseases in elderly volunteers from metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. By studying participants during their lifetime and analyzing their organs and tissues after death, we gain valuable insights into neurological and systemic conditions. To further scientific advancements, we also provide preserved tissues, biomaterials, research data and biospecimens to qualified researchers worldwide.

Banner Sun Health Research Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of aging and the diseases of aging. Our goal is to discover new treatments and lifestyle methods that will increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life for older adults. One of the most important ways to learn about aging and related disorders is by studying brain and body tissue from both healthy individuals and those affected by age-related diseases after they pass away. Equally important is understanding how well older individuals perform daily functions during their lives and how aging disorders affect this performance. To reach these goals, the Institute maintains an active research program called the Brain and Body Donation Program.

The program also collaborates with researchers from the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Tucson Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, Midwestern University, Barrow Neurological Institute, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. If you are considering enrolling a family member who cannot make decisions for themselves, you must be legally authorized to do so on their behalf.

General features of the program:

• There is no cost to participants.
• Participants must reside in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.
• Participants are required to consent to periodic clinical assessments, typically conducted one to three times per year. These assessments do not involve painful procedures or experimental treatments unless the participant specifically consents to them.
• Participants may quit the program at any time. They can limit the types of organs they donate, restrict what kind of research is done and limit the amount of medical information released about them.
• For participants who donate their entire body for research, the program provides cremation of the remains at no charge if the participant wishes.
• Diagnostic, genetic and other information about the participant may be provided to family members and others specifically requested by the participant after death, if the participant chooses.
• Participants are not asked to take any experimental drug or treatment as part of this program, as it is not designed to test experimental treatments. If participants are interested in experimental treatment studies of Alzheimer’s disease or other diseases, the Institute has separate programs for this purpose. Please contact the Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research at the Institute for more information

Purpose of the program

The program serves three main purposes:

• During the participants’ lives, we study their functional abilities and collect blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and saliva, to learn more about normal aging as well as aging diseases. These diseases include, but are not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, cancer, atherosclerotic heart and vascular disease, arthritis, cataracts, macular degeneration and orthopedic problems. This information is considered “clinical data.”
• After the participants’ deaths, we study their brains, other organs, and tissues or fluids (called “biological materials”), to better understand aging and aging-related disorders.
• The biological materials obtained after death are used not only for biomedical research but also for general medical educational, such as teaching health care professionals and testing new medical and surgical techniques.

Meet our Brain and Body Donation Program team. 

If you or a loved one is interested in learning more about the Brain and Body Donation Program, please contact us at (623) 832-6500.