Please note that NACC is not a bio-repository or brain bank; thus, we can only help you by identifying cases that contribute to the NACC database that may have tissue available for request directly from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs). To do this, you can use Q20 of the Neuropathology form (pg. 13) where Centers indicate whether they have specific types of tissue stored. 

If you'd like to identify cases that may have tissue available at this time, we are happy to send you the clinical and neuropath data that we have at NACC so that you can determine which participants and associated ADRCs meet your criteria. Note, the tissues reported as stored at the ADRC may not reflect the Center's current inventory, as tissue samples may be depleted over time or be unavailable for sharing. Thus, all estimates of availability that NACC can provide are rough estimates.

If you're able to identify tissue based on your needs using the UDS and neuropath data, you can then send a list of the associated ADRC(s) that hold the specimens you want to request , we'll provide you with contact(s) at those ADRC(s). From that point, you will negotiate directly with the ADRC(s) to determine whether and how material transfer agreements may be established, which specimens are available in sufficient quantities to share, and any costs associated with their transfer. When you reach out to the ADRCs, we require that you include the statement "Please note that this is neither a NACC request nor a NACC initiative, and your participation is entirely voluntary."

If you do not need to narrow down to a list of participants and/or receive any phenotypic data from NACC at this time, please also see the following resources:

  • Review the NP & Biospecimen Resource Locator Tool available on our website that allows you to independently check whether tissue is available at an ADRC, filtering by tissue type, neuropathologic disease, and so on. This tool also provides contact information to reach out to Centers that may have the tissue you are interested in.
  • For tissue outside of the ADRCs, visit the NIH Neurobiobank. 
  • If you are interested in antemortem biofluid samples, it may be more useful to explore the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) catalog for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) to see if there are any available samples for cases of interest. They have a breakdown of the available samples from the ADRCs in the chart at this link, and you may register for access to a more detailed catalog. If you receive tissue samples from them, you can always link NACC phenotypic data to their sample data using NACCID at a later stage.

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