MB-POST, a mass spectrometry data repository for metabolomics research, has been released

On Oct. 8, 2025, Professor Shujiro Okuda at Niigata University and his colleagues released "MB-POST", a mass spectrometry data repository for metabolomics research.

MB-POST is a raw data repository for storing mass spectrometry data generated in metabolomics research. A major challenge has been the large file sizes of mass spectrometry data, which makes data registration to the repository very time-consuming. MB-POST addresses this issue by incorporating a high-speed file upload function developed by Professor Okuda and his colleagues, along with a flexible file management system and a user-friendly interface. By registering data with MB-POST, users can obtain a unique identifier for publication purposes and make their "raw data/processed data" publicly available, or they can keep the data private (or "pending publication") until the paper is published. File transfer from the user's computer to the repository server is done solely through a web browser, eliminating the need to install any additional software.

＜Number of datasets included in MB-POST＞ (As of October 30, 2025)

• Number of registered datasets: 107 projects, 11,691 files (1.6 TB)
• Number of publicly available datasets: 40 projects

MB-POST was initially released as a test version on Dec. 24, 2024, and while data acceptance began and system modifications continued, it was determined that there were no major problems, and it was officially launched on Oct. 8, 2025. This launch was announced by Professor Okuda at the 19th Metabolome Symposium on October 16, 2025.

MB-POST was developed as a part of Database Integration Coordination Program (DICP), "Development of next generation mass spectra data base, Shin-MassBank" (Principal Investigator: Fumio Matsuda, Professor, Osaka University), and is provided through the Shin-MassBank portal page.

The Shin-MassBank project is under development with the aim of developing an innovative data processing pipeline for accumulating product ion (MS2) spectra obtained from biological samples. It consists of MB-POST, a user-friendly raw data repository; MassBank Human, a library of MS2 spectra obtained from human metabolome datasets; and MassBank in silico, which provides metabolite annotation functionality using in silico data. Currently, MassBank Human and MassBank in silico are available in beta versions, but MB-POST has been officially released ahead of them. The Shin-MassBank project is a member of the MassBank consortium and operates in collaboration with the Spectroscopic Data Subcommittee of the Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan.

(Fig. 1) MB-POST's homepage

(Fig. 2) The mechanism of MB-POST's high-speed file transfer system

(Fig. 3) Data registration process in MB-POST