Sex in basic research: concepts in the cardiovascular field.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical and health research
• Sex and gender in medicine

Background:

• Biological differences between sexes are critical for medical advancement.
• Neglect of sex-specific analysis introduces bias in research, clinical concepts, and drug development.
• Limited implementation of sex-specific policies in science due to conceptual, knowledge, and methodological deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a roadmap for integrating sex and gender into biomedical and health research.
• To highlight the importance of sex-specific analysis using cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as a paradigm.
• To address deficits in concepts, knowledge, and methodology for sex-sensitive research.

Main Methods:

• Review of concepts for implementing sex in basic research, including studying both sexes, genetic vs. hormonal factors, and sex chromosomes.
• Analysis of sex-specific statistics in genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
• Discussion of methodological issues and SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for sex-sensitive research.

Main Results:

• Sex and estrogen significantly influence the manifestation of many cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
• Key concepts for sex inclusion involve studying primary cells and animals of both sexes.
• Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) require sex-specific statistical analysis.

Conclusions:

• Integrating sex and gender into basic research is essential for reducing bias and advancing medicine.
• A roadmap is needed to guide the implementation of sex-sensitive approaches in biomedical research.
• Addressing methodological challenges and knowledge gaps is crucial for successful integration of sex and gender considerations.