Establishing a women's health biobank in Dubai - progress from a feasibility study

Abstrakts

Background Women's health disorders contribute substantially to morbidity and long-term disease risk, yet dedicated women-focused biobanking resources remain limited in the Middle East. The Dubai Women's Health Study (DWHS) was established to create a longitudinal biobank supporting translational and precision medicine research in women's health in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study reports the feasibility and early implementation outcomes of the DWHS pilot phase. Methods A prospective feasibility study was conducted at Latifa Women's Hospital, Dubai Health, Dubai, UAE, between June 2025 and June 2026. Women aged ≥18 years with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, preeclampsia, or controls were recruited. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment performance, participant acceptability, biospecimen collection rates, data capture completeness, and operational implementation metrics. Biospecimens included blood-derived samples, stool and tissue, where applicable. Clinical and specimen data were integrated using Epic electronic health records and OpenSpecimen biobanking software. Results A total of 117 eligible women were approached of whom 107 participants were enrolled, including 48 controls, 33 women with endometriosis, 18 with PCOS, and 8 with preeclampsia. Among women approached outside the labour ward, the consent rate was 91%. Participants represented a diverse population, comprising 58.9% UAE nationals and 41.1% expatriates. Blood samples were successfully collected from 74.8% of participants, while stool collection was achieved in 9.3%. The biobank generated 2178 aliquots, including whole blood (32.0%), serum (32.2%), plasma (28.6%), and buffy coat (7.2%). Completion of the onsite patient form was 78.5%, although implementation of detailed disease-specific instruments was more challenging. Operational barriers included staffing limitations, clinic capacity constraints, workflow integration challenges, and delays in procuring stool collection kits. Governance structures, automated biospecimen storage infrastructure, and electronic data integration were successfully established and no longer represented barriers to future expansion. Conclusions The DWHS feasibility study demonstrates that establishing a dedicated women's health biobank within a large integrated academic health system in the UAE is feasible and highly acceptable to participants. Despite operational challenges typical of pilot implementation, robust recruitment processes, high quality biospecimen collection, governance structures, and digital infrastructure were successfully established. These findings support expansion of the DWHS and its recruitment cohorts and provide a model for women-focused biobanking initiatives in the Middle East and other diverse healthcare settings.