Kaunas Hospital-Based Cohort

• Funding source: -
• Grant agreement number: -
• Date: March 2026
• Description: Kaunas-HB is a prospective, single-centre, hospital-based observational cohort. The study integrates faecal biospecimens with longitudinal clinical data from patients receiving routine diagnostic or therapeutic care. It provides a real-world resource for translational microbiome research across gastrointestinal and other diseases. The primary objective is to establish a comprehensive biobank combining high-quality faecal samples with longitudinal clinical information. The cohort supports the discovery and validation of microbiome-derived biomarkers, investigation of disease-associated microbial signatures and host–microbiome interactions, and development of predictive models for clinically relevant outcomes. It also provides a sustainable resource for future national and international research initiatives. The study population comprises adult patients (≥18 years) attending LSMU Kauno klinikos across different clinical specialties. Recruitment is prospective and consecutive to minimise selection bias and reflect the diversity of patients encountered in routine hospital practice. Participants must be able to provide written informed consent and submit a stool sample together with the required clinical information. Individuals with insufficient clinical information or inadequate sample quality are excluded. Approximately 2,000 participants have been enrolled to date, and recruitment is ongoing. This observational biobank cohort is designed to support multiple biomarker discovery and validation studies rather than test a predefined intervention or primary hypothesis. No study-specific intervention or additional clinical visit is required. Clinical information is obtained from routinely collected electronic health records and updated periodically in accordance with the approved study protocol and ethical approval No. P3-BE-2-31/2018.