Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1980

International Collaborative Research on Medicinal Plants Research efforts of the University on Chinese medi cinal materials have gained international recognition. Apart from being a world Health Organization Collaborating Research Centre for the testing of indigenous plants for fe rtility regulation, and a Ford Foundation Reproductive Science Centre for moni toring the effects of medicinal plants with the aid of radioimmunoassays, it has recently been appointed a Liaison Centre for the Commonwealth Regional Rural Technology Programme: Cultivation and Processing of Medicinal Plants and a Regional Research Centre on Medicinal Plants Chemistry of the UNESCO Southeast Asia Network for the Chemistry of Natural Products. A ll these four international research centres at the University are headed by Dr. Y. C. Kong, Reader in Biochemistry of the University andmember of the who ' s Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine. The first of the new appointments wasmade by the Commonwealth Science Council and the project is undertaken by six Asian-Pacific Commonwealth countries, namely,Hong Kong, Bangladesh, F iji, India, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka. The Programme aims to upgrade traditional methods of cultivating and processing medicinal plants by the introduction of technology. It is hoped that, through this project, both the economy and health care systems of all participating countries canbe improved and that more extensive scientific research and international col laboration w ill result. The National Coordinators of the project for Hong Kong are Dr. Y. C. Kong and Dr. Paul But o f this University. The Director of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (represented by Mr. S. P. Lau), Kadoorie Agriculture Aid Association (represented by Mr. Y. H. Chung), Dr. K. H. Yung, Senior Lecturer of the Biology Department of the University and Dr. Tze-kong Wai of the Swire Group have agreed to participate in this project and to serve as advisers. The second appointment was made by the Co­ ordinating Board of the UNESCO Network at its 5th annual meeting held in Bangkok on 20th-21st Sep tember, 1980. The Board, in recognition of the immense progress and contribution made by the University as a Liaison Centre of the Network, decided to upgrade the Liaison Centre to a full-fledged Regional Centre. The University in this new capacity w ill redouble its efforts to study the chemistry of medicinal plants through collaborative research in the UNESCO Southeast Asia Network. The University w ill continue to exert itself in promoting and co-ordinating international collabora­ tive research on medicinal plants and to attach great importance to its commitments to other world organizations in future. I-mu Ts'ao— study on this medicinal plant at the University has gained international recognition 26