Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana.
Eur J Med Res. 2023 Jul 22;28(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s40001-023-01206-3.
RNA sequencing has emerged as the standard method for transcriptome profiling of several human diseases. We performed a systematic review detailing the state of RNA-seq analyses in Africa from its inception till February 2022. Our goal was to provide an update on the state of RNA-seq analyses in Africa, including research gaps, funding information, participants information, authorship and collaborations. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed an exhaustive literature search for RNA-seq studies conducted in Africa, using PubMed, Scopus and Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost). The output was exported to Endnote X9 for analyses. The initial literature search yielded 10,369 articles spread across PubMed (4916), Scopus (4847) and EBSCOhost (580). By applying our exclusion criteria, 28 full-text articles remained and were thoroughly analyzed. Overall, 17 human diseases were studied, including cancers (10/28), infectious disease (4/28), parasitic disease (4/28), autoimmune disorders (2/28) and neglected tropical diseases (2/28). Majority of the articles were published in PLoS Pathogens, BioMed Central and Nature. The National Institutes of Health (42.4%), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (7.5%) and the Wellcome Trust (7.5%) were the top funders of the research studies. Eleven African countries contributed to the participant group, with 57% located in Eastern Africa, 23.1% from Western and 16.7% from Southern Africa. The extremely low number of RNA-seq research studies in Africa is worrying and calls for an immediate investment in research by the African governments. The funding agencies and institutional review boards should also ensure that African collaborators are treated equitably in the course of the research projects.
RNA 测序已成为几种人类疾病转录组分析的标准方法。我们进行了一项系统评价，详细介绍了从 RNA 测序开始到 2022 年 2 月在非洲的研究情况。我们的目标是提供非洲 RNA 测序分析的最新情况，包括研究空白、资金信息、参与者信息、作者身份和合作情况。根据 PRISMA 指南，我们使用 PubMed、Scopus 和 Academic Search Complete（EBSCOhost）对在非洲进行的 RNA 测序研究进行了详尽的文献搜索。结果输出到 Endnote X9 进行分析。最初的文献搜索产生了分布在 PubMed（4916 篇）、Scopus（4847 篇）和 EBSCOhost（580 篇）的 10369 篇文章。通过应用我们的排除标准，有 28 篇全文文章被保留并进行了深入分析。总的来说，研究了 17 种人类疾病，包括癌症（28 篇中的 10 篇）、传染病（28 篇中的 4 篇）、寄生虫病（28 篇中的 4 篇）、自身免疫性疾病（28 篇中的 2 篇）和被忽视的热带病（28 篇中的 2 篇）。大多数文章发表在 PLoS Pathogens、BioMed Central 和 Nature 上。美国国立卫生研究院（42.4%）、比尔和梅琳达盖茨基金会（7.5%）和惠康信托基金会（7.5%）是研究的最大资助者。11 个非洲国家为参与者群体做出了贡献，其中 57%来自东非，23.1%来自西非，16.7%来自南部非洲。非洲 RNA 测序研究的数量极少令人担忧，呼吁非洲政府立即对研究进行投资。资助机构和机构审查委员会还应确保在研究项目中公平对待非洲合作者。
