Published: 29 Jan 2020 | Last Updated: 29 Jan 2020 15:56:05

The Animal Care Trust has awarded funds to researchers at the Royal Veterinary College to establish a Companion Animal Brain Bank, bridging a resource gap in neurological disease research.

Over the last 30 years, significant advances in neurological disease research have come from examining human and animal brain tissue. However, there is an acknowledged lack of brain tissue available to researchers globally.

Thanks to your support, a grant of £15,873 was awarded to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) to establish the Companion Animal Brain Bank (CABB). The CABB is enabling internationally regarded researchers at the RVC to collect and store samples of brain tissue and other biological specimens for research and educational purposes.

Routine collection of companion animal brain tissue has benefits for future patients diagnosed with neurological disease, the attending clinicians, students working with the cases and the research community as a whole, which can access the bank.

Explaining the benefits of the CABB within RVC Small Animal Referrals, Dr Abbe Crawford, Staff Clinician in Neurology and Neurosurgery, said: “Many animals that are euthanised due to neurological diseases do not have a definitive diagnosis, which can be distressing for owners and frustrating for clinicians. The CABB could provide such a diagnosis – routine collection of companion animal brain tissue facilitates a more accurate neuropathological diagnosis, including distribution and grading of lesions.

“Knowing that their animals are contributing to disease understanding and scientific advancement can provide comfort to many owners at the difficult time of losing a pet. Furthermore, by actively discussing and implementing brain banking at the RVC, the team hopes to open new avenues of tissue archiving across neurology and other disciplines.”

The team aim to store a minimum of 50 brains over a three-year period, creating a freely and easily accessible resource to researchers across the UK.

Thanks to your support, we are able to fund ground-breaking research at the Royal Veterinary College. Please donate to continue the funding of pioneering research projects that improve the health and care of animals.