Abstract
While there are lighthouse examples of microbiome research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a significant proportion of local researchers face several challenges. Here, we highlight prevailing issues limiting microbiome research in SSA and suggest potential technological, societal, and research-based solutions. We emphasize the need for considerable investment in infrastructures, training, and appropriate funding to democratize modern technologies with a view to providing useful data to improve human health.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-115 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Trends in Microbiology |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2024 |
Funding
The authors thank the numerous researchers from SSA who have contributed to the advancement of science and public health despite the many hardships in their daily practice. As examples who inspired the authors of this article through their dedication, Professor Iruka Okeke, Dr Wilfred Abia, and Dr Gordon Shephard are highlighted. Professor Iruka Okeke is furthermore acknowledged for providing essential feedback on the manuscript. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their very valuable comments and objective criticism. Moreover, we appreciate the support of the University of Vienna and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, P33188 , B.W.) and the co-funding by the European Union (ERC, FunKeyGut 741623 , D.B.; EXPOMET 101043321 , B.W.). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency; neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The authors thank the numerous researchers from SSA who have contributed to the advancement of science and public health despite the many hardships in their daily practice. As examples who inspired the authors of this article through their dedication, Professor Iruka Okeke, Dr Wilfred Abia, and Dr Gordon Shephard are highlighted. Professor Iruka Okeke is furthermore acknowledged for providing essential feedback on the manuscript. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their very valuable comments and objective criticism. Moreover, we appreciate the support of the University of Vienna and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, P33188, B.W.) and the co-funding by the European Union (ERC, FunKeyGut 741623, D.B.; EXPOMET 101043321, B.W.). Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency; neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The authors declare no competing interests.
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106022 Microbiology
- 105904 Environmental research
- 104023 Environmental chemistry
Keywords
- cloud computing
- microbiome
- next-generation sequencing
- public and environmental health
- sub-Saharan Africa
