NDRI: autism

The Human Tissue and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) ASD Brain recovery Program is supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health.

This administrative supplement grant enables the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) to directly partner with the NIH NeuroBioBank to support cutting-edge research by providing Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) investigators with access to valuable donated human brain biospecimens.

HTORR ASD Brain Recovery Program coordinates with NDRI’s network of Tissue Source Sites to screen and recover post-mortem brains from ASD and control donors. Once recovered, the biospecimens are shipped to the NIH Neurobiobank at the University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank under the direction of Tom Blanchard, PhD to process and coordinate the distribution of biospecimens to investigators. Collectively this partnership serves as a crucial link between donors and the advancement of research studying the etiology of ASD and other neurological disorders.

"We rely heavily on NDRI to fulfill our mission of recovering neurologic tissue from donors with neurodevelopmental diseases for characterization and distribution to interested researchers. This is particularly true with regard to autism spectrum disorder cases. Tissue remains in high demand, but these cases are rare and difficult to recruit. NDRI has been instrumental in acquiring these for us, year after year. The professionalism, organization, timeliness, and high quality of NDRI's work make them one of our most reliable and productive partners."

Tom Blanchard, Ph.D., JD

Director, University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank