The MIND Institute Brain Endowment for Autism Research Sciences (BEARS)® Program was primarily established to address the shortage of brain tissue for medical researchers to study. Advancements in the field of neurodevelopmental research have been delayed, and the field will eventually hit a roadblock without proper support from donor families, scientists, and the community to promote brain tissue donation for research.

To overcome this current shortage of brain tissue, we have launched the BEARS® Tissue Program, which is designed to implement a system of regional collection sites spread across the country. This system will drastically improve communication and efficiency for brain tissue acquisition, preparation and worldwide distribution. It will also allow for donor families, coroners, community leaders, and pathologists within local vicinities to better interact and work together to optimize the quantity of donated cases, as well as speed of collection.

Brain tissue, once collected, will be transferred from these regional collection sites to our state-of-the-art research facility at the MIND Institute where brain research is being conducted. It is here that we have the expertise and leading-edge technology available to prepare, distribute, and immediately share every precious donation with the world community of neurodevelopmental researchers.

Our vision for what the BEARS® Tissue Program can be is far more than a central management and collection site for brain tissue, but also a research facility whose unique resources and brilliant minds work hand in hand to advance the field of neurodevelopmental research.