Experience in establishing the female breast and genital diseases with microbiome biobank network

Biobanks are essential in modern biomedical research, enabling the systematic collection, storage, and distribution of biospecimens and associated clinical data to advance precision medicine. 1Collaborative biobank networks are valuable in large-scale or rare-disease research, 2 because they enhance data interconnectivity, standardization, and quality assurance. 3Female breast and genital diseases, including breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers, remain a major global health burden, 4 of which breast cancer is the most common malignancy, with increasing incidence in younger populations and marked molecular heterogeneity. 5Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at advanced stages and has the poorest prognosis. 6Although cervical cancer is largely prevented through human papillomavirus vaccination and screening, it still causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. 7However, the molecular mechanisms, tumor microenvironments, and microbiome interactions involved in these diseases remain unclear.Therefore, the Female Breast and Genital Diseases with Microbiome Biobank Network (FDMNet) was established in 2021 as a multi-institutional collaborative biobank network to collect and share high-quality biospecimens and harmonized clinical datasets, including microbiome resources for female-specific diseases.Additionally, a recent repeated cross-sectional survey of FDMNet highlighted usage patterns, barriers, and opportunities, underscoring the importance of streamlined governance and researcher support.