On a mission to unlock the secrets of the ageing brain.

The Centre for Brain Research is located within the University of Auckland and is New Zealand’s largest provider of medical and biomedical research, and internationally recognised for its neuroscience research. The Hugh Green Foundation has supported the Centre since 2010.

Established in 2009, the Centre for Brain Research excels in world-class neuroscience research carried out by cross-faculty research teams, alongside clinical collaborations with leading neurologists, neurosurgeons and physicians in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world.

It is estimated that one in five New Zealanders will experience brain disease during their lifetime. Neurological diseases are among the top five most common causes of death and long-term disability. The cost to families and society, both financially and socially, is enormous.

The Centre for Brain Research brings together expert scientists, skilled clinicians, students and dedicated community groups. The overall goal of the centre is to find and develop new treatments for brain disease through a complete understanding of every physiological and functional aspect of this organ. Critical to the success of the centre is to generate findings that influence and shape New Zealand’s healthcare model and policy. We research areas such as Autism, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Gene Therapy, Parkinson.  A key part of the Centre is the Hugh Green Biobank.

The Hugh Green Biobank (HGB) was established in 2011 by Professor Mike Dragunow and is a world-leading facility dedicated to identifying new treatments for brain disorders by studying human brain cells derived from autopsy and neurosurgical brain tissue donors. The Hugh Green Foundation enabled the establishment of the Biobank with initial grants, and then continued with an endowment to support the Hugh Green Biobank in perpetuity.

Almost all human brain cell types are now grown routinely in the facility. In addition, the HGB grows and studies brain tumour cells. Cells are used in research led by Professor Dragunow with staff and students of the Centre for Brain Research (CBR). Most importantly working closely with chemists and other drug discovery experts the HGB is identifying novel compounds to help develop medications to treat brain disorders and cancers.

Understanding the brain is the last frontier of medical research and one of the most challenging areas in medicine. The discoveries found through the CBR have the potential to change the lives of people living with neurological disease. By unlocking the secrets of the brain, we learn more about ourselves, who we are and our future.