Editorial: Global excellence in molecular immunology and therapeutics: Africa 2021

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Ahmad and Omosun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 12 July 2023 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1247148

As a part of the international movement to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Egyptian group of Behairy et al. evaluated the effect of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) change in the gene encoding the innate human b-defensins type 2 (hBD-2) on susceptibility to COVID-19. Their bioinformatic investigations confirmed that SNP changes could alter the innate immunity to the virus, and this can manifest as varied susceptibility to infection and also determine the degree of severity between individuals. The finding paves the way for further experimental and clinical evaluation for procedures that can be applied to manage and diagnose the pathogen. Simultaneously, the Egyptian group of Yasseen et al. studied the non-conventional role of platelets in immunity. They investigated the molecular mechanisms of aggregation and activation of the leukocyte-platelets complex associated with the clinical severity and mortality outcomes of COVID-19 patients. They revealed that the morphological and functional changes in hyperactive platelets during infection can be used as a very accurate predictor of mortality associated with COVID-19.
The global accelerated momentum to produce prophylactic vaccines against pathogens causing pandemics such as COVID-19 highlighted the global inequality of vaccine availability for several African countries due to the lack of local infrastructure. The WHO, in association with other partners, has launched the mRNA technology transfer program for the use of mRNA technology to produce COVID-19 or other vaccines. The group of Kairuz et al., from the University of Witwatersrand, highlighted the recent advances in the field of synthetic mRNA therapies and vaccines. This technology may be applied further to produce necessary neoantigen vaccines, therapeutic proteins, gene editing for genetic disorders, and vaccine development against HIV, TB, and malaria.
A lot of effort has been made in studying malaria in Africa. The group of Thiam et al., from the University of Ghana and Institut Pasteur of Dakar, Senegal, screened for some phenotypic variation in the malaria parasite and confirmed that there was low level of diversity across Western Africa. This approach was followed as a step to decipher the conserved epitopes found on malaria merozoites that can be used as vaccine building blocks. A multinational group led by Azam et al., including collaborators from Africa, proved the applicability of using CRP measurement to assess the treatment efficiency for TB since using the molecular bacterial load assay based on 16S-RNA evaluation is not affordable for several health systems in Africa.
The incidence of cancer is on the rise on the African continent. In Casablanca, the Moroccan group of Ghazi et al. reviewed research proposing the use of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CART) therapy for colorectal solid tumors. The researchers supported the application of CART therapy for colorectal cancer while highlighting that clinical trials are necessary to provide insights into the spectrum of patients who can benefit from this treatment. The Ethiopian group of Shibabaw et al. reviewed the use of molecules that can downregulate the production of IL-17A, a major stimulant for metastatic breast cancer. The targeting of IL-17A signaling pathways provides a promising approach for novel treatments.
Overall, we live in a world with extensive exchange of capacity at all levels. Pathogens spread between continents and threaten the lives of human beings worldwide. The lesson we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that exchanging data and cooperating in the production of lifesaving products are essential to protect humanity. Having a will to build centers of excellence in Africa with African human capacity and infrastructure will support the efforts of Africans in tracking, studying, and limiting the spread of pathogens, as well as creating skilled regional employment opportunities in the sciences.

Author contributions
TA drafted the editorial. YO revised and approved the manuscript.