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 →
🇮🇳 Funded by ICMR — Indian Council of Medical Research
Brain Bank Network
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"
3
Partnering Centres
ICMR
Government Funded
60+
Years of Neuropathology
All India
Network Coverage
Our Purpose
Advancing Neuroscience Across India
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.
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Standardised Collection
Harmonised protocols for collection, freezing, and neuropathological diagnosis across all satellite centres.
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Network of Expertise
Connecting NIMHANS as nodal centre with satellite banks at AIIMS and PGIMER to share knowledge and resources.
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Centralised Database
A unified database of cases with minimal clinical information, centrally maintained at NIMHANS for network-wide access.
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Brain Museums
Satellite Brain Museums at each centre serving as national resources for medical and public education.
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Capacity Building
Workshops and short-term training programs in biobanking practices for the next generation of neuropathologists.
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Ethics & Transparency
Established guidelines for exchange of tissues and fluids in line with ICMR guidelines for Biomedical Research.
Network Centres
Our Partner Institutions
Three of India's premier medical institutions working together as a coordinated network.
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 →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 → From Our Centres
Our Research in Action
Scientific Community
For Researchers
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 →Available Resources
- ✓ Fresh and formalin-fixed brain tissue
- ✓ Tissue fluid and CSF samples
- ✓ Neonatal, paediatric and adult brains
- ✓ Neuro-infections, tumours, stroke, metabolic disorders
- ✓ DNA, RNA and cDNA libraries (selective centres)
- ✓ Clinical data accompanying each specimen
- ✓ Histopathological slides and stained sections