Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) inequities persist among under served populations, pregnant adolescents, sex workers, MSM, neuro-divergent and physically disabled cohorts, who bear a disproportionate burden of HIV, STIs and cervical cancer yet remain under-represented in laboratory science. Traditional diagnostics, biomarker discovery and drug-resistance surveillance have largely relied on affluent, urban samples, leaving critical knowledge gaps in pathogen adaptation, host response and pharmacology across diverse bodies. Recent advances in CRISPR, ddPCR, metagenomics and low-cost microfluidics now enable bench-to-bedside studies that can directly address these disparities.

This Research Topic leverages these technologies to generate inclusive, primary laboratory data, ensuring that molecular and translational SRH research serves those who need it most.

Under-served populations carry the highest STI/HIV loads and poorest reproductive outcomes, yet < 10 % of molecular SRH data are derived from pregnant adolescents, sex-workers, MSM, neuro-divergent or mobility-limited cohorts. This scarcity cripples global efforts to calibrate rapid diagnostics, predict drug resistance and optimise contraceptive/PrEP dosing for “non-standard” bodies.

We will close the gap by collating bench-to-bedside studies that exploit recent advances CRISPR-FET strips delivering < $2, 10-min results; ddPCR self-collection for visually-impaired women; LC-MS/MS hair PrEP assays; 16S + metagenomics of cervico-penile-rectal niches; scRNA-seq cytokine mapping in wheelchair users; open-source datasets on protocol generate inclusive, primary laboratory evidence. By mandating molecular data linked to clinical/pharmacological endpoints in these cohorts, we will accelerate equitable diagnostics, refine AMR surveillance, guide precision SRH pharmacology and provide reproducible protocols for LMIC laboratories.

We welcome Original Research, Methods, Protocols, Case Reports, Reviews, Data Reports and Technology Reports that present primary laboratory data generated by PCR, qPCR, ddPCR, sequencing (short- or long-read), mass-spectrometry, CRISPR-Cas, flow-cytometry, microfluidics or multi-omics platforms. Studies must link molecular findings to clinical, pharmacological or public-health endpoints in under-served SRH populations (pregnant adolescents, sex-workers, MSM, neuro-divergent, physically-disabled, elderly or obese).

Priority themes:

(1) HIV/STI drug-resistance epidemiology,

(2) low-cost CRISPR/nucleic-acid POC tests for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma, HPV, Trichomonas, Schistosoma,

(3) host cytokine, chemokine or pharmacogenomic biomarkers,

(4) cervico-vaginal, penile, rectal microbiome,

(5) PrEP/contraceptive/antibiotic PK-PD in non-traditional bodies,

(6) antimicrobial peptides, bacteriophage or probiotics as non-antibiotic SRH interventions,

(7) open datasets, protocols and code.

Negative-results and resource-laboratory validations are explicitly encouraged.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Molecular and Translational Advances in Sexual and Reproductive Health: Diagnostics, Biomarkers and Drug-Resistance Surveillance