Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria

Home
Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria

The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria provides Victorians with the opportunity to save and enhance the It is a public sector not-for-profit organisation.

Established in 1989, the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria (DTBV) was the first multi-tissue bank in Australasia. It screens, processes, stores, tests and distributes multiple types of tissue from the one facility. Its core function is to provide Australian surgeons with safe and effective tissue grafts for transplantation in many areas of orthopaedic, cardiothoracic, reconstructive surgery and burn care, benefiting many patients every year. The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria offers relatives and loved ones the opportunity to salvage something positive from the tragedy of the loss of someone they loved. The centre also provides a living donor program where people undergoing routine hip replacement can donate for transplant, the otherwise discarded bone removed during the surgery. The Tissue Bank’s operations are overseen by an ethics committee and an Advisory Board with an emphasis on quality and safety. DTBV also facilitates access to corneas for the Lions Corneal Donation Service and the services extend to assisting researchers who require access to human tissue for the completion of ethically approved research projects that allows us to contribute to both directly advancing health and social care and also to facilitate the post graduate teaching of medical specialists. The DTBV operates within the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine and also provides forensic microbiology services to support the coronial process.

12/09/2025

Shelley reminds us that just one individual tissue donor could change the life of up to one hundred Australians ❤️

This week’s spotlight on eye and tissue donation gives us the chance to provide important information for those considering registering to be an eye and tissue donor, and for their families.

Did you know?

ℹ️During end-of-life care, the medical team and donation specialists will discuss the options with your family. Care, dignity and respect are always maintained.
ℹ️ Eye and tissue donation can occur up to 24 hours after death and outside of an ICU or a hospital. This means many more Aussies can become tissue donors than organ donors.
ℹ️ Donation specialist staff, such as Shelley and the nursing team at Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria, keep in contact with your family and provide support and information.
ℹ️ Bone tissue is the most transplanted tissue in Australia. Long bone tissues can be used to replace those destroyed by cancer, while smaller sections of bones can be milled and used to fill areas where bone has been lost e.g. in the spine.
ℹ️ Tissue donation is treated like all surgeries, with surgical incisions closed and dressed with dignity and respect. Families are still able to have an open-casket funeral after tissue donation.
ℹ️ Donor age is not that important – most eye donors are in their 70s. Eye donors can have any eye colour, blood type or level of eyesight.

It really is simple to register as a tissue donor, using this link https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today.

11/09/2025

We’re forever thankful to all tissue donor families for the generosity and kindness they show during some of the most difficult times of their lives.

Janine and all the incredible team of specialist nurses at The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria support donor families through each step of the donor journey. Tissue donation is so rewarding for donors and their families, and the reason someone else gets a second chance at life.

It really is simple to register as a tissue donor, using this link https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today.

We encourage all donors to have the conversation with their family when they sign up as a donor to make it that little bit easier when the time comes for donation.

Remember - just one individual tissue donor could change the life of up to one hundred Australians ❤️

10/09/2025

Thanks Rachael ❤️ and here’s the link you mentioned - https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today.

It really is simple to register as a tissue donor and so rewarding for donors and their families – you can be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life. Just one individual tissue donor could change the life of up to one hundred Australians.

And when the time comes, Rachael and all the incredible team of specialist nurses at The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria support donor families through each step of the donor journey.

Tissue donation includes skin, parts of the eye, heart valves and other heart tissue, bones and tendons. It transforms lives in many ways, including saving burns victims, restoring sight, repairing heart abnormalities in babies and adults, rebuilding tendons and reconstructing bones.

08/09/2025

This week, we’re shining a spotlight on eye and tissue donation 🔦

Did you know eye and tissue donation changes the lives of thousands of Australians each year? Tissue includes:

❤ skin
❤ parts of the eye, such as the cornea and sclera
❤ heart valves and other heart tissue
❤ bones and tendons

Compared to organ donation, many more people can become eye and tissue donors. You don’t have to die in hospital to be considered for eye and tissue donation, and donation can occur up to 24 hours after death.

Tissue donation transforms lives in many ways. This includes saving burns victims, restoring sight, repairing heart abnormalities in babies and adults, rebuilding tendons and reconstructing bones.

If you’ve been touched by eye and tissue donation, help spread the word by sharing a social media tile and sharing with your network.

01/08/2025

Today, and with mum Ann's blessing, we are so proud to be able to share this picture of her son Tom, who was a tissue donor. Amidst the devastation of losing Tom - who was such a special part of their family, Ann takes great pride in knowing that through his tissue donation he continues to help others. For the family, it's like a rainbow moment on a cloudy day.

It’s almost the end of DonateLife Week 2025, and we do hope that the stories of Tom and Levi that we've shared encourage more Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute.
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

31/07/2025

Ann didn't even know of some of the beautiful things her son Tom had done until he’d passed, but she always knew how much he loved helping people – so tissue donation was not a difficult decision for them to make - it was a reflection of the way Tom lived.

Read Ann's tribute letter to Tom and his legacy ❤️

"After Tom's sudden and unexpected death we didn't want this tragedy to overwhelm us - we wanted something good to come out of his life and death. Tom loved life and we felt he would have been really happy knowing that other people had their lives enhanced by his gift- that other people have the opportunity to love life the way Tom did."

"Tom was the 4th of 11 children (7 boys/4 girls). He was a horticulturist with an amazing work ethic. He was very driven, everything (except his bedroom) had to be done just right!!!"

"He loved helping people, online gaming and his great passion was marathon running. He was extremely strong and fit as well as a very private person - we didn't even know of some of the beautiful things he had done til after his death!"

"Amidst the devastation of losing such a special part of our family there is great pride that he continues to help others. It's like a rainbow moment on a cloudy day."

It’s DonateLife Week 2025, and we want all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute.
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

29/07/2025

As an 11 year old boy, Levi received a bone tissue donation which turned his life around. His mum Melissa will be forever grateful to the donor family and cherishes the role they played in Levi’s journey with them, and their decision to donate.

It’s DonateLife Week 2025, and the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria wants all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life, just like Levi.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute.
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

28/07/2025

Melissa is mum to Levi, an 11 year old boy who received a bone tissue donation which has turned his life around. She will be forever grateful to the donor family and cherishes the role they played in Levi’s journey and their decision to donate.

It’s DonateLife Week 2025, and the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria would like all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life, just like Levi.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute.
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

27/07/2025

DonateLife Week 2025 is here – and it’s the perfect time to register to be an organ and tissue donor!

The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria wants all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute.
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

26/07/2025

It's DonateLife Week 2025 and we want to encourage you to take a minute to discuss organ and tissue donation with your family!

The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria wants all Australians to register as organ and tissue donors and be the reason someone else gets a second chance at life.

We know that 4 in 5 Australians say they support donation, but only 1 in 3 are registered to be a donor on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR).

Registering is easy. It takes less than one minute:
https://www.donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

28/05/2025

On Saturday 24th May DTBV celebrated Leaf Day. Leaf Day is centered around the Tree of Life; a Tree bearing the first name of each tissue donor over the last 12 months. The Tree of Life symbolises the vast contribution made by tissue donors and their families through the precious gift of tissue donation.

21/05/2025

This Saturday 24th May at 2pm is DTBV Leaf Day. On Leaf Day, we honour the generosity of our tissue donors and their families.
Leaf Day is centred around our Tree of Life. At the beginning of winter the Tree of Life has no foliage, but as the seasons pass leaves bearing the first name of each donor are attached. By autumn the tree is full of donor leaves reflecting the vast contribution donors and their families have made through the precious gift of tissue donation. If you would like to attend our Leaf Day service, please get in touch with us on (03) 9684 4706.

Address

57-83 Kavanagh Street
Melbourne, VIC
3006

Telephone

+61396844444

Website

http://www.dtbv.org.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Melbourne?