Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2001

was set up at the Un i v e r s i ty i n January 2000 to p o o l the expertise f r om the Faculties of Medicine, Science, and Engineering to develop Chinese medicine research and p r omo t e collaboration between Chinese and Western medicines . The institute no t only benefits f r om the excellent research tradition of the former Chinese Medicina l Material Research Centre, but combines it w i t h the clinical competence of the Prince of Wales Hospital and the state- of-the-art facilitie s i n the Process Development Facility for Chinese Medicin e at the H o n g K o ng Institute of Biotechnology Co. Ltd. to b r i n g Chinese medicine to a higher academic and scientific plane . F i v e Priority Projects To give further impetus to the modernization and clinical research of Chinese medicine, the institute is collaborating w i t h the City University of Ho n g Kong, H o n g Ko n g Polytechnic University, and the H o n g K o ng Un i v e r s i ty of Science and Technology to conduct research on illnesses for wh i c h there is no k n o w n cure or method of prevention i n Western medicine. Am o n g them, research findings related to hepatitis, childhood asthma, diabetic foot ulcer, h o r mo n a l imbalance d u r i n g menopau s e, a nd cardiovascula r illness have been mo s t significant and have been mad e p r i o r i t y projects. These five areas are precisely the subsidiary projects under 'Chinese Medicine Researc h and Further Development'. Patients and Hong Kong t o B e n e f i t Prof. Leun g said, ' T h e uniqueness of the research i s its efficacy-oriented approac h — the confirmation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine that has been f o u nd to be effective, using clinical trials. Th e research findings can not only provide more evidence for the efficacy of Chinese me d i c i n e , b u t t he y can also a f f i r m its role as a l t e r na t i ve or complementary therapy, an d i mpo r t ant references for Western medica l practitioners usin g Chinese medicine.' Prof. K.P. Fu n g added, 'The Chinese medicina l materials under clinical trials come i n p r i ma ry forms such as pills, tablets, or capsules. But there is potential for t hem to develop into more sophisticated Chines e medicine, then furthe r manufactured int o pharmaceuticals that meet GMP, and introduced into the local an d overseas markets. This w i l l create mo re business o p p o r t u n i t i es l o c a l ly a n d he lp establish H o n g K o n g as an international centre of Chines e medicine.' Priority Projects Project Leaders Clinical Non-Clinical Hepatitis B Prof. Joseph Sung Prof. W.F. Fong Phyllanthus Dept. of Medicine & Therapeutics Dept. of Biology & Chemistry Women's Ailment Prof. C.J. Haines Prof. Karl Tsim Danggui Buxue Tang Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Dept. of Biology ( H K U S T ) Diabetic Foot Ulcer Prof. P.C. Leung Prof. C.T. Che Huangqi Decoction Dept. of Orthopaedics & School of Chinese Medicine Traumatology (CU) Child Asthma Prof. Rita Sung Prof. F.T. Chau Lingzhi & Dong Chong Dept. of Paediatrics Dept. of Applied Biology & Xia Cao Decoction Chemical Technology ( P o I y U ) Cardiovascular Tonic Prof . K.S. Woo Prof. K.P. Fung Danshen & Gegen Decoction Dept. of Medicine & Therapeutics Dept. of Biochemistry (CU) 33