Scientific African (Mar 2024)
Mapping the landscape of IgY antibody research in Africa: A capacity and output analysis
Abstract
Egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is a promising class of antibodies with applications in several areas including food safety, disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. The technology involving IgY manipulation is relatively simple, yet powerful, due to the properties of the antibodies. Despite the increasing interest in IgY research globally, there has been limited exploration of IgY study in Africa, a continent that bears a disproportionate level of disease burden. Building capacity within the continent could contribute significantly to addressing the healthcare challenges facing the region. This study aimed to investigate the capacity and output of researchers affiliated with African institutions in IgY-related research. Data on IgY-based publications in Africa were sourced from the SCOPUS database, and VoSviewer was used to visualize collaborations and research trends. Additional information was obtained from relevant databases to assess publication quality, and the individual publications were summarised. The results showed that there was low research output from African institutions on IgY-related topics, but the published papers were of good quality and have made significant contributions to the field of IgY research. The majority of IgY research in Africa is being conducted by a small number of research groups, and there is a lack of collaboration between them. Furthermore, intra-Africa collaborations are rare. The main focus of IgY research in Africa is on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases affecting humans and animals, which aligns with the healthcare challenges facing the continent. However, areas of IgY research, such as IgY dosage and delivery formulation, and IgY-based antibody mimetics, are currently underexplored by African researchers. This study highlights the need for more investment in IgY research in Africa and the need for collaboration among research groups and institutions. Future research should focus on exploring new areas of IgY research, including the development of viable forms of IgY delivery and dosage formulations, the exploration of IgY-based antibody mimetics and product development. By doing so, African researchers can contribute significantly to the development of novel therapeutic and diagnostic applications for IgY.
