Bibliometric analysis on CRISPR/Cas: a potential Sherlock Holmes for disease detection

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
• Medical Diagnostics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology has emerged as a powerful tool for precise gene editing.
• Its application in disease detection has rapidly advanced in recent years, necessitating a comprehensive overview of the research landscape.
• Understanding the historical development and current trends is crucial for future advancements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of CRISPR research related to disease detection.
• To identify key trends, influential authors, institutions, and countries in the field.
• To map the intellectual structure and citation landscape of CRISPR-based disease detection.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of the Scopus database was performed for publications between 1992 and 2023.
• Bibliometric analysis was conducted on 1407 screened articles using VOSviewer, RStudio, and MS Excel.
• Data analysis included annual publishing trends, citation patterns, author affiliations, and keyword co-occurrence.

Main Results:

• CRISPR research saw a significant surge between 2018 and 2023, following a slow start.
• Germany, the United States, China, India, and the UK are leading nations in CRISPR disease detection research.
• Authors Liu, C., and Li, Y., show high publication counts, and Broughton's 2020 study on SARS-CoV-2 detection is highly cited.

Conclusions:

• The bibliometric analysis highlights the exponential growth and increasing global impact of CRISPR in disease detection.
• Key research hubs and influential contributors have been identified, providing a roadmap for the field.
• This study offers valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to guide future endeavors in CRISPR-based diagnostics.