This poster was presented at the 50th Philippine Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PSBMB) Annual Conference. We reviewed metabolomics studies from published works in the Philippines and abroad, and employed exploratory analysis to determine research trends, themes and analytical platforms. We included studies from 2003 to late 2023. See more here.

Abstract

Despite the global prominence of metabolomics, a comprehensive assessment of metabolomics research in the Philippines, encompassing thematic trends and analytical platforms, remains conspicuously absent in the scholarly literature. This study aims to illustrate the landscape of metabolomics research in the Philippines using exploratory analysis and visualization of bibliometric data. In this study, 71 publications were identified, with 50.7% of the first authors originating from within the Philippines and the remainder from international sources. The temporal distribution reveals an increasing interest in metabolomics, with a substantial increase in publications commencing in 2020 to 2022, comprising 56.3% of the total output. The research themes exhibit a diverse spectrum, with Plant and Food Metabolomics representing the predominant domain, accounting for 48 publications (67.6%). Microbial Metabolomics (14 publications, 19.7%) and Clinical Metabolomics (7 publications, 9.9%) also featured prominently, reflecting the multidisciplinary applications of metabolomics in the Philippines. Only one publication was found to focus on bioinformatics for metabolomics application which calls to provide more attention to this equally important field. Analytical platforms employed in these studies encompassed a range of technologies, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We also summarized the analytical techniques of metabolomics analysis within the Philippines and abroad which suggests that only a small number of metabolomics studies were actually analyzed locally. Word cloud analysis revealed that “rice” and “metabolites” were among the most frequently encountered terms, signifying a substantial focus on rice-related metabolomics research in the Philippines. This underscores the pioneering and significant contributions of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to the metabolomics research in the Philippines. This study provides a foundational understanding of the metabolomics research landscape in the Philippines, serving as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders in shaping future directions for metabolomics-related studies in the country.