Establishment of a Fibroid Tissue Bank

The long term goal of this protocol is to create a repository of well-characterized fibroid (leiomyoma) tissues in order to gather information that will lead to improved understanding of uterine fibroid growth and pathogenesis. It is expected that this initiative will eventually improve fertility and reproductive health of the millions of women who suffer from fibroids.

To address the need for increased research in this field, the NICHD in collaboration with the Office of Research on Women s Health (ORWH) will establish a national fibroid tissue bank. This initiative will strengthen the science base, improve our understanding of how uterine fibroids develop and grow, and provide clues to more effective conservative management of fibroids. The rationale for this protocol is that a repository of well-characterized, well-preserved leiomyoma tissues will provide investigators interested in basic and translational research on fibroids the opportunity to study the condition. This will facilitate research because experiments conducted on the samples may be expected to improve understanding of the mechanism and pathophysiology of this disease.