Victorian Brain Bank Network (VBBN)
Coordinator
Head: Professor Catriona McLean
see profile
Mission
Our mission is to provide researchers, both in Australia and internationally, with high quality, well characterised post-mortem brain tissue and related samples that will facilitate research into discovering the causes and consequences of different brain and mental disorders.
The VBBN also provides a vital neuropathological diagnostic service and supports the continuing education of the next generation of medical and allied health professionals.
About the Victorian Brain Bank Network
The VBBN are the custodians of a collection of brain and related samples that have been donated by individuals who have had:
- neurological and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease
- psychiatric disorders such as bipolar mood disorder, depression and schizophrenia, as well as
- neurotrauma cases and
- healthy ‘control’ cases.
Located at MHRI, the VBBN is part of the Australian Brain Bank Network (ABBN), which is a not-for-profit consortium of brain banks across Australia.
The overall aim of brain banks such as the VBBN is to provide Australian and international researchers with high quality tissue samples and data in order to facilitate research into brain and mind disorders.
By making the decision to donate your brain to VBBN, you are helping to facilitate research which has the great potential to unlock our understanding of how brain and mind disorders occur and may lead to:
- Improvements in diagnosis
- Development of early diagnostic tests
- Therapeutic interventions
- Development of preventative strategies
The VBBN has human research ethics approval from The University of Melbourne, Monash University and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Supporters
- Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council
- Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation
- Helen Macpherson Smith Trust
- Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute
- Parkinson’s Victoria
- Perpetual Philanthropic Services
Contact Us
Ms Fairlie Hinton, VBBN Coordinator
National Neuroscience Facility
Level 2, 161 Barry Street
Carlton South VIC 3053
T: 61 3 8344 1900
M: 0438 530 372
F: 61 3 9349 5105
E: f.hinton (at) mhri.edu.au