• Background of the Tissue Bank
• Aims and Objectives of the Tissue Bank
• Reasons why it is important to donate?
• Who can donate?
• What is involved in registering to be a donor?
• What is involved in donation procedure?
• How will the tissue be used?
• PD research
• Donor statistics to date
• What happens if you want to donate? - Contact details

Expert review committee of the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) moved its Brain Tissue Research Centre from the Institute of Neurology to Imperial College in January 2002.

• Bring together scientists researching PD, neurologists, neuro-pathologists
• Imperial college already housed tissue collections including the Multiple Sclerosis Tissue Bank

Letter sent from the PDS to all existing tissue donors explaining the changes.

To obtain and distribute High Quality human brain tissue, for research into PD and related disorders both in the UK and worldwide.

• Recruitment into donor scheme
• Collection of patient data, family histories, epidemiological details
• Collection, processing and storage of human tissue
• Distribution of tissue to scientists
• Raise public awareness, links with international PD research and interest groups

HUMAN Brain Tissue is VITALLY IMPORTANT for ongoing progress into the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's Disease.

• Why human?
  • Animals don't get PD, hence donated tissue is essential for examining the mechanisms of cell death, pathological changes etc.
  • Complement some animal work and tissue culture studies, and provide confirmation of these studies
• Past research:
  • Drug development - L-DOPA
  • Some understanding of mechanisms of cell death

Anyone!

• Parkinson's Disease
• 'Parkinson's plus' movement disorders:
  • Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
  • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
• Controls – very important

• follow government guidelines for tissue donation
• information pack
• donor consent
• next of kin consent form
• GP copy of forms
• Historical data on lifestyle and family

• Request for information
  • name and address
• Donor information obtained:
  • donor consent form
  • next of kin consent form
  • historical data on lifestyle and family
• After death
  • clinical/medical notes

Rapid collection of tissue is important (Aim - 24 hours)

1. Death of registered donor
2. Next of kin calls PDS Tissue Bank 24 hour emergency telephone number
3. PDS Tissue bank immediately calls for further details
4. Deceased transported to nearby hospital for tissue removal
5. Body returned to funeral directors
6. Tissue collected and stored at Charing Cross Hospital

The brain is cut into two halves, one of which is fixed. The other half is cut into thick sections and rapidly frozen.

For the fixed half, tissue blocks from various brain regions are cut. Tissue sections from such blocks are subjected to a variety of histological stains. A neuropathologist examines the sections to confirm that the donor had a specific neurological disease or was free from any neurological disorder.

• Number of enquiries/ request for information
• Number of donors registering
• Donor Distribution

	Pre-July	To Date
Requests for information (Packs sent)	272	1555

Diagnoses (PD1-46, 48, 53-56)

Donors

• Mean Age at Onset: 65 (32-85)
• Mean Age at Death: 77 (42-93)
• Mean Duration of Illness: 12 (2-43)
• Female: Male (28%: 72%)

History I

• Non-(never/reformed) smokers 46/51 (90%) (For 2 donors status unknown)
• Active smokers 3/51 (6%) (All with atypical features & ?Cerebrovascular Parkinsonism)
• Positive Family History 7/51 (14%)

History II

• Neuroleptic exposure 6/51 (12%)
• PD8: Methanol/Formaldehyde exposure
• PD15: Crop Spraying exposure
• Dyskinesia 22/51 (43%)

• Requests for tissue from recognised Institutions both in the UK and around the world.
• The project is reviewed by an independent scientific panel, to check whether the project is scientifically sound and will benefit medical research.
• Written report on the research carried out by the research team.
• Acknowledgement of the Tissue Bank and PDS in any scientific publication where donated tissue has been used.

• Understand how and why cell death occurs in PD
• Develop better treatments in PD and related diseases
• Predict and identify possible susceptibility to PD
• Disease prevention

Dr David Dexter - Mechanisms of Neuronal death

• Accumulation of Fe in the PD Substantia nigra – Stimulation of free radicals.
• Increased free radical damage to lipids and other cellular components.
• Deficiency of the bodies defence systems against free radicals – antioxidants.
• Studies with Vitamin E and C
• Are they the best anti oxidants to use? – Flavonoids
• Flavonoids - Found in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, grain, tea & wine. Also anti-inflammatory

Dr David Dexter - What has sex got to do with Parkinson’s Disease

• Epidemiology studies reveal that women are less likely to develop PD!
• Pre-menopausal women with PD experience clinical fluctuation to drugs during the estrous cycle.
• Removal of hormone replacement therapy in post-menopausal women worsens PD!
• Is estrogen neuroprotectory?

Professor Manuel Graeber – Gene Expression analysis

• 33,000 genes to look at!
• Concentrate on the genes responsible for the mechanisms of cell death that we have identified so far e.g. oxidative stress.
• Once we have identified genes that are either up or down regulated we will look at their expression at the cellular level i.e. does it occur in neurones, glia etc

• Branch Talks (some with press coverage) –
  Bath, Worthing, Aberystwyth, Barnet, Horsham, Sevenoaks, North Herts/Stevenage, Croydon, Northampton, Cheltenham, Doncaster, Brentwood, Lincoln, Rugby, Christchurch, Leicester, Poole, Beccles, Byfleet, Malmesbury, Bradford, Dumfries, Oldham, Halifax, Worcester, Newbury, Longeaton, Bracknell, Portsmouth, Ashford, Stevenage (YAPP&Rs), NW Branches, South Anglia, Plymouth, Southampton, Dundee, Greenwich, Peterborough, Barking, Harlow, Hitchin, Lewisham, Oxford, Hampshire (YAPP&Rs), Basingstoke, Southend, Haltwhistle, Penrith, Welwyn and Hatfield, Guildford, Dartford, Amersham, Liverpool, Sutton, Kingston and Epsom, Hillingdon, Lincoln, Hull, York, Derby, Farnborough, Minehead, NW Somerset, Southport, Maidenhead, Barnsley, West Midlands, Stockport, Sandwell, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Cirencester, Bristol, Harrogate, Beccles, Cardiff, Newport, Aberdeen, Chichester, Reigate, Leamington, Bridport, West Herts.

• PDS AGM 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. YAPP&R’s AGM 2005.

• Scottish Branches meeting in Stirling.

• Northern Ireland Branches Meeting in Cookstown.

• BA Festival of Science, Dublin September 2005

• Meeting of PD nurse specialists in Nottingham. Community and support workers – Reading 2004, Kensington 2004

• Donate for the future article – "Parkinson" Magazine.

• SPRING conference – 11th March 2003

• Brain Awareness Week – 10th-14th March 2003

• PD nurse visit arranged by GSK – 25th March and 4th Nov 2003, 9th Jan and 13th Feb 2004, 18th November 2005

• Tissue Bank open day – 28th March 2003, 16th April 2004, 11th April 2005

• Article for Working With Older People – June 2003

• Articles in YapMag – August 2003, Winter 2003

• Articles in Branch literature – Worcester, Lewisham, North Herts (YAPP&Rs), Mid Somerset, North London, Guildford, Hillingdon, Taunton, Dorset (YAPP&RS)

• First Newsletter Out September 2003, Second April 2004, Third September 2004, Fourth April 2005, Fifth September 2005

• Sixth newsletter Out Now!!!

UK Parkinson's Disease Society Tissue Bank at Imperial College

Division of Neuroscience & Psychological Medicine
Imperial College of Science Technology & Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
Charing Cross Campus
Fulham Palace Road
London
W6 8RF

Tel: (Int +44-20) 020-8383-4917
Fax: (Int +44-20) 020-8383-4918

Email: pdbank@imperial.ac.uk

Website: www.parkinsonstissuebank.org.uk/