Donating your body to medical science

You can donate your body to medical science, through the University Of Cambridge, Department of Anatomy. Full information on how to do this is available on their website follow this link, donating your body.

To speak to someone in person the contact number for further information is 01223 333 776.

You are also able to donate specific tissues from the body directly to this hospital. The Addenbrooke's Tissue Bank is currently updating its guidance on the use of such tissue.  More information is available here on the Tissue Bank.

You can also contact the Tissue Bank Manager directly on 01223 245151 / 01223 805000 or alternatively you can contact the Cambridge Brain Bank, the telephone number is 01223 217336 regarding donating your brain for research.  The contact person is Jenny Wilson, Senior Research Nurse for Cambridge Brain Bank.

Cambridge brain bank

The donation of brain, pituitary tissue, spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid after death

You are probably familiar with organ donations of the heart, kidneys or eyes to sustain the health or even the life of people in need. Brain donation for research is a precious and unique gift. Scientists can learn and understand more about disease processes when they are able to work on donated tissue.

Ultimately, we hope that scientific work of this kind will lead to better and more effective treatments and that future  generations will benefit from your help. There are many diseases affecting the brain. These include the various forms of dementia (such as Alzheimer’s dementia), and also brain infections, metabolic disease, psychiatric diseases and tumours.

Medical professionals involved in research and working with patients affected by these diseases need to study the tissue in detail, and this can only be done after death. The donation of brain, pituitary tissue and CSF, and on occasions spinal cord,  after death is a big decision and needs to be discussed with family and friends.

Advice is available from the Cambridge Brain Bank research nurse Jenny Wilson who would be very happy to discuss any concerns or questions you or your family may have.

Contact details

Telephone number 01223 217336 or email Cambridge brain bank.

Or download the patient information leaflets below for further information