The Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) studies the health and diseases of older adult volunteers in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. We assess participants’ function during life and examine their organs and tissue after death. We also share banked tissue, biomaterials and biospecimens with qualified researchers worldwide.
We are currently accepting donors who are cognitively normal or have Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, REM sleep behavior disorder or cancer.
These conditions affect millions of people. Because many of these disorders occur primarily in humans and obtaining tissue samples from living patients is rarely possible, research progress depends on studying donated tissue.
Since 1987, more than 3,000 community members have contributed to our scientific efforts. We hope others will follow their lead to help advance medical knowledge.
Donors must:
By contributing to our Brain and Body Research Donation Program, you can help unlock groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Your generous donation supports critical research in neuroscience, medicine and human physiology. It provides valuable insights into conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and other neurological and systemic diseases.
Choosing to donate makes you a vital part of advancing treatments, expanding medical knowledge and ultimately saving lives. Join us in shaping the future of health and science—one donation at a time.
If you or a loved one is interested in learning more about the Brain and Body Donation Program, please contact us at (623) 832-6500.
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to studying aging and age-related diseases. Our goal is to discover new treatments and lifestyle strategies to improve quality of life for older adults.
One of the most effective ways to learn about aging and its disorders is by studying brain and body tissue from both healthy and affected people after death. Equally important is assessing how older adults function in daily life. The Brain and Body Donation Program allows us to explore both aspects.
To request rapid autopsy samples, antemortem or postmortem biofluids, research data or details on our histological and molecular services, please begin by registering and completing the required forms. Your request will be reviewed and you will receive approval or a response via email within 10 days. Registration must include:
This process typically involves several email exchanges to finalize details.
The public is invited to learn more about exciting progress in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease research during a guided tour of the world-renowned Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona.
Registration is required. Call (602) 230-CARE (2273) or use the link below.
Neurological and functional
Medical history
Substance usage (tobacco, alcohol)
General neurological examinations
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)
Global Deterioration Scale (GDS)
Functional Assessment Testing (FAST)
Montreal Cognitive Assessments (MoCA)
Neuropsychological
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
Geriatric and Hamilton Depression Scales
Movement disorders
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)
Hoen and Yahr test
Tremor rating
Restless legs syndrome score
Mayo Clinic sleep questionnaire
UPSIT smell test
Diagnostic histological stains
Hematoxilin & Eosin
Campbell-Switzer
Gallyas
Thioflavine S
Phosphorylated alpha-synuclein
TAR-DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43)
Histopathological scoring (graded and staged)
Amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangle density
Lewy-type synucleinopathy
TDP-43 protienopathy
Other assessments
White matter rarefraction
Vascular lesions
Genotyping (e.g., Apolipoprotein E [ApoE])
Omics data
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