BRACE and the South West Dementia Brain Bank 

BRACE is a Bristol-based research charity dedicated solely to funding vital research into Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Their research helps:

• Understand the brain to identify underlying causes of different dementias.
• Develop accurate and effective means of diagnosing for dementias as early as possible.
• Find new methods of prevention and treatment for different dementias, and ultimately, a cure.

A key project BRACE funds is the South West Dementia Brain Bank (the Brain Bank) having provided it with significant funding since its creation in 1987. The SWDBB is the largest dementia brain bank in the UK, with tissue samples from the bank underpinning dementia research projects across the country and globally.

The Brain Bank does not receive government funding and is reliant on charities like BRACE to keep their work going.  BRACE has continuously supported the Brain Bank since 1987, providing over £2 million in funding during the past 20 years. With 761 potential donors currently registered and up to 50 new donations accepted annually, the Brain Bank continues to be a cornerstone of progress in dementia research.

For more information on the vital fundraising activities of BRACE, together with key information on dementia (including diagnosis and living well with dementia) and lots of ways to get involved help raise money, see here.

For more about the work of the Brain Bank, including a video showing the incredible work they do, see here.

Friends Together Visit BRACE and The South West Dementia Brain Bank 

 In February 2025, Helen, Hazel, Judy and Richard from Friends Together were lucky enough to have a personal guided tour of the Brain Bank, which is based in the Learning and  Research Building at Southmead Hospital, Bristol.  We met first with Liberty of BRACE the head offices of which are also at Southmead and who described in detail how BRACE goes about funding the vital work of organisations such as the Brain Bank, and the general scope of their work. 

We then met with Dr Laura Palmer, the Brain Bank Manager, who gave us a tour of the Brain Bank and spoke with enthusiasm and passion about the vital work she and her colleagues do, preserving and storing brain tissue from over 1,300 donors, including people who had various forms of dementia and older individuals without memory problems.

The donated tissue is frozen or fixed in formalin so it can be stored for a long time. Alongside each donation, comprehensive pathological information is collected. This preservation allows the tissue to remain viable for research for decades, supporting scientific studies across the UK and internationally. By comparing brain tissue from people who had dementia with tissue from those who did not, researchers can identify specific differences that reveal how dementia damages the brain. Post-mortem examination of brain tissue provides the only definitive diagnosis of dementia types, connecting specific symptoms with particular areas of brain damage.

The Brain Bank is a vital resource. New treatments cannot get to clinical trial stage without using human brain tissue first. Without it, we wouldn’t have drugs for Alzheimer’s disease.

Our visit was insightful, fascinating and hugely uplifting, as we learnt about the incredibly positive developments not only in the search for a cure for dementia, but also in the understanding of prevention, treatment and early diagnosis of the disease, as well as the alleviation of symptoms and helping those living with dementia now to improve their quality of life.  For them, their friends, families and carers, it is hugely encouraging to know that one can lead a fulfilling life, even after a dementia diagnosis