Sex and gender in infection and immunity : addressing the bottlenecks from basic science to public health and clinical applications
(2023) In Royal Society Open Science 10(7).- Abstract
Although sex and gender are recognized as major determinants of health and immunity, their role is rarely considered in clinical practice and public health. We identified six bottlenecks preventing the inclusion of sex and gender considerations from basic science to clinical practice, precision medicine and public health policies. (i) A terminology-related bottleneck, linked to the definitions of sex and gender themselves, and the lack of consensus on how to evaluate gender. (ii) A data-related bottleneck, due to gaps in sex-disaggregated data, data on trans/non-binary people and gender identity. (iii) A translational bottleneck, limited by animal models and the underrepresentation of gender minorities in biomedical studies. (iv) A... (More)
Although sex and gender are recognized as major determinants of health and immunity, their role is rarely considered in clinical practice and public health. We identified six bottlenecks preventing the inclusion of sex and gender considerations from basic science to clinical practice, precision medicine and public health policies. (i) A terminology-related bottleneck, linked to the definitions of sex and gender themselves, and the lack of consensus on how to evaluate gender. (ii) A data-related bottleneck, due to gaps in sex-disaggregated data, data on trans/non-binary people and gender identity. (iii) A translational bottleneck, limited by animal models and the underrepresentation of gender minorities in biomedical studies. (iv) A statistical bottleneck, with inappropriate statistical analyses and results interpretation. (v) An ethical bottleneck posed by the underrepresentation of pregnant people and gender minorities in clinical studies. (vi) A structural bottleneck, as systemic bias and discriminations affect not only academic research but also decision makers. We specify guidelines for researchers, scientific journals, funding agencies and academic institutions to address these bottlenecks. Following such guidelines will support the development of more efficient and equitable care strategies for all.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- bottlenecks, immunity, infection, sex and gender
- in
- Royal Society Open Science
- volume
- 10
- issue
- 7
- article number
- 221628
- publisher
- Royal Society Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37416827
- scopus:85165411948
- ISSN
- 2054-5703
- DOI
- 10.1098/rsos.221628
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fea91f4d-aa95-4c78-8184-a03d74846967
- date added to LUP
- 2023-09-12 11:46:02
- date last changed
- 2024-08-10 13:06:55
@article{fea91f4d-aa95-4c78-8184-a03d74846967, abstract = {{<p>Although sex and gender are recognized as major determinants of health and immunity, their role is rarely considered in clinical practice and public health. We identified six bottlenecks preventing the inclusion of sex and gender considerations from basic science to clinical practice, precision medicine and public health policies. (i) A terminology-related bottleneck, linked to the definitions of sex and gender themselves, and the lack of consensus on how to evaluate gender. (ii) A data-related bottleneck, due to gaps in sex-disaggregated data, data on trans/non-binary people and gender identity. (iii) A translational bottleneck, limited by animal models and the underrepresentation of gender minorities in biomedical studies. (iv) A statistical bottleneck, with inappropriate statistical analyses and results interpretation. (v) An ethical bottleneck posed by the underrepresentation of pregnant people and gender minorities in clinical studies. (vi) A structural bottleneck, as systemic bias and discriminations affect not only academic research but also decision makers. We specify guidelines for researchers, scientific journals, funding agencies and academic institutions to address these bottlenecks. Following such guidelines will support the development of more efficient and equitable care strategies for all.</p>}}, author = {{Pasin, Chloé and Consiglio, Camila R. and Huisman, Jana S. and De Lange, Ann Marie G. and Peckham, Hannah and Vallejo-Yagüe, Enriqueta and Abela, Irene A. and Islander, Ulrika and Neuner-Jehle, Nadia and Pujantell, Maria and Roth, Olivia and Schirmer, Melanie and Tepekule, Burcu and Zeeb, Marius and Hachfeld, Anna and Aebi-Popp, Karoline and Kouyos, Roger D. and Bonhoeffer, Sebastian}}, issn = {{2054-5703}}, keywords = {{bottlenecks; immunity; infection; sex and gender}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{7}}, publisher = {{Royal Society Publishing}}, series = {{Royal Society Open Science}}, title = {{Sex and gender in infection and immunity : addressing the bottlenecks from basic science to public health and clinical applications}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221628}}, doi = {{10.1098/rsos.221628}}, volume = {{10}}, year = {{2023}}, }