About us

The Founder of Brainbank consultants (Dr. Rivka Ravid) is known as one of the pioneers in the field of Brain Banking since 1987 when she joined the Netherlands Brain Bank and set up a national donor program in the Netherlands.

After working for many years as the head and managing / executive director of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) in Amsterdam, she decided to start a new line of activity, in which experience and expertise are used to help others in setting up new brain banks world wide, using the model of the Netherlands Brain Bank she set up in Amsterdam.

Download Biographical Sketch and recent publications

Download Curriculum Vitae dr. Rivka Ravid

“Brain Bank Consultants” is established to actively assist and advise the scientific community and biotech /pharmaceutical companies in their search for available specimens of human brain for scientific research.

In addition, we offer service in the neuroanatomical correlations of various pathologies in the human brain and the currently accepted clinical and neuropathological diagnostic criteria.

The overall aim of “Brain Bank Consultants” is to direct the scientists / companies not only to the proper sources and repositories who store brain specimens but also to assist the recipient of such samples in the underlying legal and ethical prerequisites one should adhere to for the proper use of human tissues.

For this purpose we have a collaboration with med-Law consult and you can find the relevant information on the relevant link under collaborations (www.medlaw.nl).

The specific aims of “Brain Bank Consultants” include five distinct areas:

1. Assistance in the search for proper samples for research / testing.
2. Advise on the medico-legal and ethical prerequisites on which the specimens have been recruited and will be used.
3. Assistance in choosing the optimal in-vitro and molecular-biology procedures to be successfully applied on human brain /CSF samples .
4. Training and guidance for scientists who are unfamiliar with the use of human brain specimens and the complex neuroanatomy of the human brain.
5. Assistance in localizing and identifying the neuropathological abnormalities present in the specimens and the correlation-analysis of these abnormalities to the clinical symptoms and neuropathological processes and disease mechanisms.

Another line of activity within Brain Bank Consultants is to assist scientists or governmental institutions in setting up new Brainbanks. This includes the following activities:

1. Making an inventory of the scientific / biotech needs for a Brain Bank at a certain location
2. Helping the local people in setting up the necessary infrastructure for a Brain Bank, including the legal+ethical regulations
3. Preparations for establishing a national donor program
4. Help in setting up a solid budgeting system and funding for the Brain Bank