The Reina Sofía Foundation presents the brain donation campaign ‘Extraordinary Brains’.

• Her Majesty Queen Sofia presided over the presentation ceremony of this initiative, held at the Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Centre.
• The campaign highlights that each donation of brain tissue is key to advancing research into neurodegenerative diseases and improving future treatments.

As part of its commitment to research into neurodegenerative diseases, the Reina Sofía Foundation is launching the Extraordinary Brains campaign, an initiative developed by the agency Sra Rushmore. Its aim is to encourage brain donation for scientific research and to highlight that anyone, without being a genius, can contribute to the progress of science. This campaign underlines the importance of brain tissue donation for further progress in the detection and prevention of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

A round table discussion entitled The importance of brain donation for research was also held during the presentation of the advertising spot. Moderated by Dr. María Ascensión Zea Sevilla, CIEN researcher, the meeting brought together leading experts from the neurological and scientific fields: Dr. Fernando de Castro (Cajal Institute - CSIC), Dr. Alberto Rábano (director of the BTCIEN Tissue Bank), Dr. Pascual Sánchez-Juan (scientific director of CIEN), Dr. Alberto Villarejo (12 de Octubre Hospital), Dr. Javier de Felipe (research professor at Cajal Institute- CSIC and CIBERNED) and Dr. Rosario Moratalla (director of the Cajal Institute - CSIC and CIBERNED).

The participants agreed on the urgent need to increase brain tissue donations in Spain, which currently do not exceed 200 per year.

EXTRAORDINARY BRAINS

The campaign features José Antonio, great-great-grandson of Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Through a close approach, the initiative seeks to raise social awareness and demystify the process of brain donation.

The Extraordinary Brains campaign has the collaboration of the main media and other entities that will support the initiative by helping to spread its message through their channels and information spaces.

The Reina Sofía Foundation focuses much of its activity on supporting research into neurodegenerative diseases and the development of more effective treatments that improve the quality of life of millions of people.

The Reina Sofía Foundation's commitment to research into neurodegenerative diseases is embodied in initiatives such as the Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Centre (CAFRS), a pioneering complex that addresses the disease through research, training and care. In this space, the Reina Sofía Foundation collaborates closely with CIEN (Center for Research on Neurological Diseases), part of the ISCIII (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities). CIEN manages the CAFRS Research Unit, which houses one of the most important brain banks in Europe. This bank enables key research to advance treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, with brain tissue of unique scientific quality, collected from donors who generously contribute to science.

Spain is a world leader in organ donation, but brain tissue donation remains a pending challenge. ‘While some organs can save lives immediately, brain donation can save the lives of the future thanks to research,’ stresses the Reina Sofía Foundation.

The managing director of CIEN, María Ángeles Pérez, highlights the uniqueness of the CAFRS, whose creation was possible thanks to the collaboration of the three territorial administrations and the fundamental support of the Reina Sofia Foundation. She also underlines the value of the VARS project for the early detection of Alzheimer's, which follows patients through exhaustive clinical monitoring, with advanced technologies such as Siemens CIMAX magnetic resonance imaging, the only one of its kind in Europe for this type of research and donated by the Reina Sofía Foundation. Many of the participants in this project are also donors to the Brain Bank, which generates invaluable knowledge for science.

María Ángeles Pérez also expressed her gratitude to Her Majesty Queen Sofía, whose constant support has been crucial for the development of this centre and for research into neurodegenerative diseases. ‘Thank you, Your Majesty, for having made this great centre possible, for your invaluable contribution to the advancement of science and for your dedication to the future of so many people affected by these diseases’, stressed the CIEN managing director.

View campaign: https://www.fundacionreinasofia.es/spots/Cerebros.html