Since 2013, the NIH NeuroBioBank (NBB) has catalyzed scientific discovery through the centralization of resources aimed at the collection and distribution of human post-mortem brain tissue to understand conditions of the nervous system. The NBB network distributes samples to the research community studying neurological, developmental, and psychiatric disorders. Now, the Carver College of Medicine’s brain bank, called the Iowa Neuropathology Resource Laboratory (INRL), is part of the NBB network.

Becoming the seventh brain bank in the NBB’s network, the INRL will bank 100 brains per year with 50 more dedicated to grant-supported investigator projects. Their responsibilities include performing MRIs on fixed brains, three-dimensional scans, histology workups and associated data collection to make well-characterized postmortem human tissue available for free through the NBB to investigators across the country. In turn, the INRL will receive $1.4 million in funding for the first year of the contract.

The INRL currently consists of over 500 donated brains, most of which come from their unique partnership with the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner and the Iowa Donor Network. This allows individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for tissue donation to contribute to research and establish a lasting legacy through their donation.

University of Iowa’s NBB repository will be the only brain bank in the Midwest, comprising a unique representation of specimens from a rural population and gives researchers a look into generational environmental exposures and younger populations that are otherwise difficult to obtain. The INRL’s association with UI Health Care also gives researchers access to a large archive of medical history, including information from the Iowa Cancer Registry.

The INRL is led by Marco Hefti, MD, who serves as the medical director, Kimberly Fiock, PhD who serves as the director and Melissa Blessing, DO as forensic pathologist.