BEARS Brochure

It’s heartbreaking when you hear from a parent
that their child was just diagnosed with autism.
You want to wrap your arms around them and
T H E M I N D I N S T I T U T E
BRAIN ENDOWMENT for AUTISM
RESEARCH SCIENCES (BEARS)
say, I’m so sorry. Our hope is that one day, with
the help of the BEARS program, we can say,
There’s a cure for that.
– Chuck & Sarah Gardner
MIND Institute, Founding Family
Our
TEAM
From left to right: Melanie Norris, Administrative Manager;
Susan Bacalman, Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Leonard
Abbeduto, Ph.D., MIND Institute Director; Cyndi Schumann, Ph.D.,
BEARS Tissue Program Director; Lily Luong, Research and Outreach
Coordinator; Terri Contenti, Community Relations Officer; David
Amaral, Ph.D., MIND Institute Research Director
UC Davis MIND Institute
Brain Endowment for Autism Research Sciences (BEARS)
2825 50th Street • Sacramento, CA 95817
(855) 221-HOPE (4673)
MINDBEARS@ucdavis.edu • www.MINDBEARS.ucdavis.edu
(855) 221-HOPE (4673)
MINDBEARS@ucdavis.edu • www.MINDBEARS.ucdavis.edu

U C D A V I S M I N D I N S T I T U T E
B E A R S T I S S U E P R O G R A M
Our VISION
The MIND Institute Brain Endowment for Autism Research
Sciences (BEARS) is dedicated to advancing research around the world by
providing scientists the necessary brain tissue to find the causes of, develop
treatments for, and ultimately cures for autism and other neurodevelopmental
disorders. In addition to our own diverse, discovery-driven, translational
research programs, our objective is to foster worldwide collaborations with
scientists across multiple disciplines to share the extraordinarily valuable
resource of human brain tissue. Our mission is to continually translate
knowledge acquired through basic research on the genetics, biology, and
neuropathology of neurodevelopmental disorders into novel approaches for
today’s treatments and tomorrow’s cures.
The RESEARCH
Brain research progress has been severely
hampered by a lack of available brain tissue for
scientists to study. Many medical researchers have
devoted their careers to investigating brain development
in children and adults with a neurodevelopmental
disorder. The skills of these talented scientists are world-renowned, their
dedication and compassion inspiring, but their efforts are slowed by a lack
of available brain tissue. Although one in every 110 children is affected with
an autism spectrum disorder, fewer than 100 cases have been studied over
the past 30 years of autism brain research. To make a significant impact,
scientists, national advocacy organizations, and the community need to work
together to transform current thinking on brain donations for research. It
is only through collaboration that we will dramatically advance research on
neurodevelopmental disorders.
Your GIFT
The gift of human tissue is a rare and
valuable resource on which medical researchers
depend to understand neurodevelopmental
disorders at the cellular and molecular level.
With these gifts, scientists will be able to
develop biological treatments and ultimately
find a cure. Researchers will have the ability to
study the complexity of the brain using a wide
range of approaches from cellular development
to immunology to genetics.
We ask that you consider registering
yourself and your family to become a
brain donor in the event of death. Brain
donations from individuals with autism, other
neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as those
unaffected by a neurodevelopmental disorder
are equally important and necessary for progress
to be made. The passing of a loved one is a very
difficult time for families. Consequently, it is
important that you inform family members of
your decision to make the precious gift of
tissue donation upon your passing.
It is only by examining human tissue
from individuals with a neurodevelopmental
disorder, compared to unaffected individuals,
that researchers can begin to find the causes,
treatments, and cures for these life-changing
disorders.
“We miss Grayson very
much, although being
able to allow him to give
back to autism research
has been very comforting
to us. Your efforts give us
hope that someday we will
all be closer to finding that
needle in the haystack,
to best help others. How
amazing your work is.”
– Valerie Hund (Mother of donor)
“Neuroscience has exceptionally
powerful tools to accelerate research
progress. Yet, without adequate donor
brain tissue, these fundamental studies
are not possible. Every donation will
make a phenomenal impact on the
future of brain research.”
– David G. Amaral, Ph.D., Director of
Research, UC Davis MIND Institute
“Our mission is to support research
on neurodevelopmental disorders
around the world in order to gain as
much knowledge as possible from
every single precious donation.”
– Cynthia Schumann, Ph.D., Director,
BEARS Tissue Program
Ways to HELP
Inform others about the vital need for brain tissue for neurodevelopmental research.
Register as a donor for yourself and your family at www.MINDBEARS.ucdavis.edu.
Encourage others, with or without a disorder, to register as a brain donor.
Volunteer for outreach at the MIND Institute and community events.
Support this program with a financial contribution.