A national network of human brain banks advancing neuroscience research through the systematic preservation and sharing of human brain tissue.
"In Service of Science, Preserving the Human Brain"
The Brain Bank Network India initiative, under ICMR funding, brings together three premier medical institutions to build a robust national infrastructure for neuroscience research — enabling discoveries that will shape the future of medicine for neurological disorders.
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 minimal 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.
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, Punjab
Department of Histopathology, PGIMER Chandigarh — with a 60-year legacy of medical autopsy and neuropathology, building one of the most comprehensive brain biobanks in North India.
Visit Centre Site →Brain donation after death is one of the most impactful gifts you can give to science. Your contribution helps researchers understand and ultimately defeat diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and dementia.
Learn About Brain Donation →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.
Our researcher portal (under construction) will enable online submission of tissue requests, status tracking, and access to our centralised catalogue. In the meantime, contact the relevant centre directly.
Tissue Request Information →