Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Have questions about brain and body donation? Our FAQs provide clear answers to help you understand the process, its impact on research and how you can contribute to advancing medical science.

Requesting tissue

Why do I have to register on the site prior to making a tissue request?

Registration helps us document activity on our website, which is important for demonstrating  productivity to our granting agencies. It also allows us to verify that tissue requesters are scientifically qualified to conduct research.

What criteria determine approval or disapproval as a tissue requester?

Approval is based on a review of the requestor’s curriculum vitae (CV) and/or the CV of the principal investigator (PI). We look for evidence of experiences with tissue analysis methods through publications and institutional affiliations.

Why do you ask for grant information, such as grant numbers and titles?

This information helps us demonstrate to funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, that we support externally funded research.

Why do you ask separately for principal investigator information?

In many cases, a tissue request is submitted by a junior researcher or technician working under a principal investigator. If the junior researcher does not meet the required credentials, we may approve the request based on the PI’s qualifications and grants.

Why do you need legal contact information?

Our legal team must coordinate with your institution’s legal personnel.to establish a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA).

Will my information be shared with anyone?

We do not share your information with commercial entities or other tissue requesters. However, it may be shared with funding agencies for productivity documentation purposes.

Tissue availability and processing

How do I get more detailed information than what is available on the inventory spreadsheet?

Due to high request volumes, we ask that you submit an initial request through the website. Once received, we will follow up by email to discuss your specific research needs and match available accordingly.

How long will it take to receive my requested tissue?

A Materials Transfer Agreement to be signed between our institutions. For pilot studies, we will generally be able to ship your tissue to you within 4 weeks. For larger studies that involve a cost recovery charge often take up to two or three months, depending on the capabilities and concerns of the legal personnel.

What factors determine whether a tissue request is granted?

We evaluate:

• Scientific credentials of the requester and/or PI.
• Scientific merit of the proposed study.
• Availability of requested tissue.
• Optimal tissue use: For rare tissues (e.g., frozen hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, striatum, substantia nigra), we assess whether the study justifies their use over more abundant regions.

Can I request frozen hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, striatum or substantia nigra by the gram?

No. These regions are very small and in very high demand. To serve multiple studies, we provide 5 and 10 cryostat sections per subject for any single project (sent on dry ice, mounted on glass slides or curled into microcentrifuge tubes). If feasible, we encourage researchers to test methods using more abundant brain regions first.