Research into diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease requires a ‘raw material’: the brain. And to have it, donors are needed. For this purpose, a neurological tissue bank was launched more than a year ago at the General University Hospital of Ciudad Real. It was conceived as a “fundamental” step to promote neuropathological research in the region, and thus be able to establish collaborations with different local, regional, national and international research groups. In this way, the idea is to open new scientific lines to advance research on neurodegenerative diseases.
Donations are now vital. “It is really what interests us most right now, because there are few samples,” explains Dr. Fernanda Ralea, scientific director of the Ciudad Real biobank. Hence, a dissemination and dissemination campaign has been launched, not only at the health level, but also through associations of patients’ families, the general public and also working together with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Castilla-La Mancha on the Ciudad Real campus. It is the way, explains Ralea, to be able to get donors.
“It is very important to make it clear that not only people who have suffered neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or ALS can donate, but we are also interested in neurological tissues from healthy patients or those who have not shown signs of having been ill,” explains the professional. The identity of the donors is strictly protected thanks to the fact that the samples stored, which may be brain tissue or cerebrospinal fluid from deceased donors, are kept encrypted.
How do brain samples help?
There are many studies that are carried out using brain tissue samples. This is what Dr. Ralea points out. “Multiple studies of beta amyloids are being carried out, especially how to eliminate them when suffering from Alzheimer’s. At the Faculty of Medicine, studies are also carried out on the olfactory bulb. [el que envía la información olfativa a corteza cerebral] and the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s through biopsies, which are much less bloody than a brain biopsy,” explains the professional.
In this case, he points out that it has been known for “some time” that people who suffer from the disease begin with problems of anosmia or loss of smell. “It has been seen that there is a relationship between everything that is the tissues of the olfactory nerve,” says the scientific director.
But Ralea insists that, beyond talking about the research that can be done, more samples are needed. That is why the Integrated Care Management of Ciudad Real has begun a collaboration project with the Alzheimer’s Patients Association of Ciudad Real, to help provide information, awareness and attract donors. To do this, the organization has a telephone that is on call 24 hours a day to get the process started. The citizen participation carried out by the association is also part of one of the strategic lines included in the Castilian-Manchego Health Plan.
“Our first objective is to make ourselves known. Let the population know who we are, what we do and what type of research we are working on. In addition, explain who we collaborate with, because in the end a neurological tissue bank works as a support platform for research personnel, since we preserve the samples in the best way to be able to use them in excellent research,” explains the doctor. Breed.
We understand that the brain is something complex and sometimes people are reluctant, but this is important and we need many samples for research
The first from Castilla-La Mancha
This biobank of brain tissues is the first in Castilla-La Mancha, and in the rest of Spain there are only 16. “In certain areas they are well known, and they have been operating for many years. But there has never been one here and people don’t know what it is or how samples can be donated. Perhaps it is not known what happens when you decide to be a donor and can provide this type of samples. They do not know that for this type of institutions, these samples are very valuable and will be treated and cared for in the most appropriate way and in compliance with all current legislation,” he points out.
People who are interested in being part of this research project can call the number available 24 hours a day, 627 45 02 10, or also by calling the General Hospital of Ciudad Real, at 926270086. In one way or another, Ralea explains They will contact interested parties to answer “all the questions considered necessary” and send the documentation. “Informed consent is needed at the time and beginning of the donation. In this way, consent is given that once the person dies, their neurological tissues can be used in research,” highlights the doctor.
Once the patient interested in being part of the initiative dies, the family also receives a document to authorize a neuropathological autopsy that allows for a “definitive diagnosis” of possible injuries in the case of a person suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. . “It is especially important, because they are sibylline or strange diseases and some lesions are often confused with others that may be very similar. When the donation is made, a study and a definitive diagnosis of the disease can also be done,” says Ralea. This also allows us to establish whether there is a possibility of inheriting the pathology, which also helps family members.
Our priority objective is to find a cure. And for the cure, it is very important that you decide to make tissue donations
What if I’m not in Ciudad Real?
Castilla-La Mancha has a Network of Biobanks in three provinces, but the one related to the brain only exists in Ciudad Real. However, the director of the biobank points out that she is already working with Toledo and Albacete to coordinate the collection of samples and their conservation in the Ciudad Real tissue bank. The bank already operates within the working group of Neurological Tissue Banks of Spain, within the National Network of Biobanks. “In this way, we can also help those who need it and direct them to the best bank, according to their circumstances,” explains the doctor.
An organ donation for a transplant is not the same as for the study of brain tissue. The scientist also explains that both circumstances can be complementary, although they have different consents and protocols. “We understand that the brain is something complex and sometimes people are reluctant, but this is important and we need many samples for research,” concludes the head of the biobank.
An initiative to “close the circle of disease diagnosis”
The Alzheimer’s Family Association (AFA) of Ciudad Real explains that the initiative has been in progress for at least seven years, when the first meeting was held with the Health Management in this province. “We did not have a biobank and we had to request the samples from Madrid or Catalonia,” explains Inés Campillo, its president. It was for this reason that the association decided to contact the Health Service of Castilla-La Mancha. “Of course our priority objective is to find a cure. And for the cure, it is very important that they decide to make tissue donations,” explains Campillo.
Regarding donations, the association also highlights that they can help “close the circle of diagnosis of the disease.” “Families receive a report that determines what type of dementia it was, because at no level is Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia the same, which do have treatment. This helps close the circle of the diagnosis and can also help their descendants,” Campillo emphasizes.
In this sense, it stands out that anyone can be a brain tissue donor. “We are in a time of great dissemination and awareness, since the willingness to donate needs to be evident,” indicates the president of the association. “Everyone can, we encourage them to do it.”
2023-12-10 18:30:09
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