An ICMR funded initiative
A network of brain banks from three institutions, funded by ICMR, preserving, studying, and sharing human brain tissue to advance neuroscience research across India.
A Network of Brain Bank from 3 institutions, funded by ICMR
Our Purpose
The Brain Bank Network India initiative, under ICMR funding, brings together three premier medical institutions to build a robust national infrastructure for neuroscience research.
Harmonised protocols for collection, freezing, and neuropathological diagnosis across all satellite centres.
Connecting NIMHANS as nodal centre with satellite banks at AIIMS and PGIMER to share knowledge and resources.
A unified database of cases with clinical information, centrally maintained at NIMHANS for network-wide access.
Satellite Brain Museums at each centre serving as national resources for medical and public education.
Workshops and short-term training programs in biobanking practices for the next generation of neuropathologists.
Established guidelines for exchange of tissues and fluids in line with ICMR guidelines for Biomedical Research.
Network Centres
Three of India's premier medical institutions working together as a coordinated network.
Bengaluru, Karnataka
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences — the nodal centre of the network, with decades of neuropathology expertise and the largest collection of human brain specimens in India.
Visit Centre Site ↗
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, AIIMS Bhubaneswar — established in 2021, housing the first Brain Museum in Eastern India and conducting cutting-edge postmortem interval research.
Visit Centre Site ↗
Chandigarh
Department of Histopathology, PGIMER Chandigarh — with 60 years of medical autopsy and neuropathology practice, building one of the most comprehensive brain biobanks in North India.
Visit Centre Site ↗The Ultimate Gift to Science
Brain donation is voluntary and posthumous — and one of the most impactful contributions to science. Your gift helps researchers decode Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, stroke, and dozens of other diseases affecting millions of Indians.
Scientific Community
The Brain Bank Network provides researchers with access to high-quality, carefully preserved human brain tissue, accompanied by essential clinical information to support meaningful scientific inquiry.
Submit tissue requests, supporting approvals, and material transfer details through the HBTR Researcher Portal, then track progress online.