National MS Society News
Researchers studying MS—its nature, cause, and effects in the brain—sometimes need brain tissue from people who lived a lifetime with the disease. The National MS Society supports two MS tissue banks to provide these resources.
A tissue bank is very close to what it sounds like: an area in a laboratory or medical center where tissue specimens are “deposited” and stored for later “withdrawal” and use. The MS tissue banks store brain and spinal cord tissues, spinal fluid, and other specimens. These samples are frozen or otherwise preserved very soon after the death of the donor. All samples are carefully catalogued with information about the donor’s medical history.
Planning ahead is essential for anyone considering this gift to research. Brain tissue must be prepared within hours after death to be of use. Individuals interested in the possibility of tissue donation are invited to contact these banks for advance planning:
Rocky Mountain MS Center
Research Division
701 East Hampden Avenue, Suite 420
Englewood, CO 80113
Tel.: 303-788-4806
Web site: mscenter.org/pages/research-brain.html
West Los Angeles Health Care Center
Donor Coordinator
MS Human Neurospecimen Bank
Neurology Research (127A)
11301 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90073
Tel.: 310-268-3536
Web site: www.loni.ucla.edu/~nnrsb/NNRSB, then click on “MS Human Neurospecimen Bank”.
The decision to contribute tissue is most thoughtful, and is truly appreciated by all who are involved in the effort to develop methods to treat and to prevent MS.
