A $1 million donation has helped establish the country's first Biobank for brain disease.
The University of Auckland's centre for brain research received the funds from the Hugh Green Charitable Trust.
It will cover the expenses of a new Biobank, which will house human cells and tissues from patients with brain disorders for lab-based research into brain disease.
Centre director Professor Richard Faull said the Biobank would be an incredible resource for the university's scientists and clinicians.
"And will hopefully enable the discovery of new methods of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of brain disorders."
The research would be available across the centre, and complement the Human Brain Bank resources.
Professor Mike Dragunow, who will lead the Biobank, said it would enable neuroscientists in the centre to identify markers of disease progression and directly test potential new treatments.
The funding will be spread over five years and will also support the soon-to-be launched Brain Recovery Clinic at the University's Tamaki Campus.
This is the second major donation for the centre since its launch in November 2009. It received nearly $1m from the Aotearoa Foundation for new Post-Doctoral Fellowships earlier this year.