Neuropathology

The Neuropathology and Biobank Platform corresponds to the activity that the CIEN Tissue Bank (BT-CIEN), a neurological tissue bank created by CIEN in 2010, dedicates to the research programmes of the centre itself. This activity focuses, on the one hand, on the extraction and processing of post-mortem brain tissue donated to the biobank, the diagnosis and classification of donated brains from a neuropathological point of view, and the transfer of samples to external researchers. On the other hand, the biobank develops research projects in the neuropathological field, in collaboration with other CIEN platforms and other research centres.

As an active biobank within the framework of the current regulations on the management of human biological samples, the BT-CIEN has a Scientific Director (Alberto Rábano), a Coordinator (Laura Saiz) and two external committees, scientific and ethical, respectively.

The BT-CIEN develops an internal donation programme, aimed at patients at the Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Centre, which is part of the Vallecas Alzheimer Queen Sofia Study (VARS), and an external donation programme, aimed at potential donors in the Community of Madrid and other Autonomous Communities that do not have their own neurological tissue bank.

The CIEN Neuropathology and Biobank Platform has adequate facilities for clinical autopsies, for processing post-mortem brain tissue and for the neuropathological diagnosis of donated tissue (autopsy room, carving room, dry and wet storage rooms). The biobank also has a high storage capacity for frozen biological samples, including brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and other types of samples from donations, as well as numerous blood and blood product samples from the VARS and other CIEN research cohorts.

For more information about CIEN Tissue Bank: https://bt.fundacioncien.es/