Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

A d v a n c ed Drug-development The Chinese University is the only tertiary institution i n Hong Kon g w i th a Department of Pharmacy and drug-making facilities. The productio n of quality Chinese drugs requires the isolation and testing of active principles from Chinese medicinal herbs,and, more i mpo r t an t l y , an understanding of their pharmacology and pharmacokinetic s in humans. The University's Department of Pharmacy has the expertise and facilities to do all this, and the Drug Development Section of the I CM w i l l make use of the facilities in the department's drug-making laboratory for the modernization o f Chinese herbal drags. Proactive Public Education Chinese medicine and medical practices are part of the Chinese cultural heritage. The goal of I CM is not so much to elevate Chinese medicin e and medical practices to a level equivalent to their Western counterpart, but rather, to explore the rich potentialities o f Chinese medicine so that it can make up for the inadequacies of modern medicine. To reverse the current situation where modern Western me d i c i ne i s the ma i n s t r e am , p u b l i c education is essential. To achieve this end, the Public and General Education Section o f the I CM w i l l organize activities to promote a better understanding o f Chinese medicine. This work-includes the creation of herb gardens on the University campus and in high schools, advising on museum e s t a b l i s hme n t , and i n i t i a t i ng other promotional activities. A Cultural Mission To develop Chinese medicine so that it can be recognized internationally is a cultural mission. P r o f P.C. Leung hopes that more research activities w i l l ensue from the five aspects o f ICM current work. The institute w i l l strengthen coordination among existing programmes, foster cooperation among relevant units, and waste no effort at introducing Chinese medicine int o the mainstream medical The Epithelial Cell Biology Research Centre,set upjointly with the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in mainland China, provides a variety of assay systems for rapid screeningof active ingredientsof Chinese medicine. The University'sherbal garden houses over200species of local herbs for teachingpurposesand to support Chinesemedicine research and authentication. The Modernization ofChineseMedicine 23