222-LB: Global Equity in Precision Medicine in Diabetes Research—A Scientometric Review

Objective: While non-Europid populations contribute to nearly 80% of the global diabetes burdens, they are grossly underrepresented in research. Given the growing interest in precision diabetes research, we investigated the proportion of such research in these populations.

Methods: We undertook an electronic search of literature in PubMed from 2010 to 2023 to identify studies in precision medicine in diabetes in populations from East Asia (EA), Latin America & Caribbean (LAC), Middle East & North Africa (MENA), South Asia (SA) and South East Asia & Pacific Islands (SEAP). We did not include Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa in the current analysis. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts selected by region-stratified sampling to identify articles relevant to precision diabetes. A third reviewer resolved any differences. We estimated the proportion of relevant research using probability sampling weights, and key themes using computational text abstraction.

Results: Of the 197,570 studies identified from PubMed, only 15,756 (8.0%) were in populations from EA (4.8%), LAC (1.0%), MENA (0.8%), SA (1.4%) and SEAP (<0.1%) regions. After screening titles and abstracts of 1,686 studies, we estimate only 39.1% [95%CI: 36.1, 42.1] were research relevant to precision medicine in diabetes. Among research relevant to precision diabetes, only 5.9% [5.0, 6.9] of studies are from non-Europid populations (EA: 3.5% [2.7, 4.3], LAC: 0.9% [0.7, 1.2], MENA: <0.1%, SA: 1.5% [1.2, 1.8], SEAP: <0.1%). Nearly 48.9% [46.8, 51.2] of the relevant research used genomics technologies for precision medicine in diabetes.

Conclusions: While the vast majority of the global diabetes burden stem from non-Europid populations, only 6% of precision diabetes research are from these populations. This knowledge asymmetry should be addressed to maximize scientific advances and health equity.