Traditional Chinese Medicine expansion for University

Thursday, 8 December 2016

The University of Adelaide is expanding its research interests in Traditional Chinese Medicine with the launch today in Beijing of the Global Institute of Traditional Medicine.

The Global Institute of Traditional Medicine is an international research collaboration between the University of Adelaide, the Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.

The Institute’s overall aim is to facilitate better understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine by the western world through research, clinical testing, policy development, market analysis and commercialisation, working in partnership with industry and government.

It is being launched today at the Beijing Conference Centre in the presence of senior Chinese Government officials, leaders of the Chinese Medicine sector, CEO’s of Traditional Chinese Medicine companies and senior executives of the university partners. Those present will include Mr Jin Xiaoming, Director General of International Co-operation in the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr Cao Zhengkui, Secretary General of the China Association of Chinese Medicine and Mr Huang Luqi, Deputy President of China Academy of Medical Sciences.

“Traditional Chinese Medicine has been practised in China for over 2000 years and is already a massive global industry worth billions of dollars,” says the Director of the Global Institute of Traditional Medicine, Professor Julie Owens, the University of Adelaide’s Pro Vice-Chancellor – Research Strategy.

The initial priorities at the University of Adelaide under the Global Institute of Traditional Medicine will be investigating Traditional Medicine-related treatments for glucose intolerance (important in diabetes), gut health and improved quality of beef meat.

“There is increasing evidence of therapeutic benefits from these medicines, but for a truly sustainable global market and widespread adoption in western countries, we need scientifically rigorous testing of the safety and efficacy, or not, of these medicines,” says Professor Owens.

“There also needs to be new ways of standardising and optimising production of the plants and herbs used.

“There are Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies for most of the leading chronic diseases in the world – potentially we all have a lot to gain from the incorporation of these treatments or related products into modern western medicine.”

At the University of Adelaide, the Global Institute of Traditional Medicine will build on the work of the Zhendong Australia China Centre for Molecular Traditional Chinese Medicine which was established in 2012. Researchers in that Centre recently showed how the Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound KuShen injection (CKI) works to kill cancer cells.

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