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INSTITUTE OF CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA
CHINA ACADEMY OF CHINESE MEDICAL SCIENCESInstitute Motto： Harmonious、Honest、Outstanding、Beneficial to the Poeple
Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences was founded on December 19, 1955. It is the first national institute specialized in the research of Chinese materia medica in China. The institute was designated as the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine in 1983. Since then, the institute has served 7 terms continually.
Though fifty-five years of scientific research practice, a research team has been brought up. Their research areas include identification of Chinese materia medica, resources development, processing and preparation, chemistry, quality standard, pharmacology and toxicology, and literature study of Chinese materia medica. The institute has 400 employees. There are five research departments and seven research centers and one national engineering laboratory in the institute including Department of Property Theory and Complication Science of Chinese Materia Medica, Department of Herb Literature, Department of Identification of Chinese Materia Medica and Molecular Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, Department of Pharmacokinetics of Chinese Materia Medica, Research Center of Quality Standard for Chinese Materia Medica, Research Center of Pharmaceutical Forms of Chinese Materia Medica, Resource Research Center of Chinese Materia Medica, Research Center of Safety Evaluation for Chinese Materia Medica, Qinghaosu (artemisinin) Research Center, Processing Research Center of Chinese Materia Medica, R& D Center of New Medicines of Chinese Materia Medica and National Engineering Laboratory of Quality Control Technology of Chinese Materia Medica. Three periodicals are published nationwide, they are national academic periodicals “China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica”, “Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae”, and popular science magazine “Family and Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Postdoctoral, doctoral and master’s degree research work has been carried out for subjects of “Chinese Materia Medica”， “Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine” and “Literature of Traditional Chinese Medicine History”.
At present, there are more than 300 on-going research projects, which are respectively in the lists of key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, the Mega-projects of Science Research for the 11th Five-year Plan, the National Basic Research Program (973 Program), the National High-tech R& D Program (863 Program), the National Key New Drug Development Program, the Doctor Foundation Program of the Ministry of Education, the Projects of National Development and Reform Commission, the Projects of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the International Cooperation Projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Since the founding of the institute, 18 projects have been awarded national prizes, 57 projects have been awarded ministerial and bureau prizes and 172 projects have been awarded academic prizes. Up to now, the institute has developed 32 new medicines, published 170 scientific monographs and 3,867 academic articles.
Key research platforms have been established and consummated. Firstly, the Theory Study of Chinese Materia Medica is focusing on research of property theories, principles of Chinese materia medica formulae, formation of geo-herbs and herb literature. Secondly, the Key Technology Study for Industrialization of Chinese Materia Medica puts emphasis on the bottleneck problems baffling the development of this sector relating to research of identification and quality control, processing, pharmaceutical engineering and conservation of resources of Chinese materia medica to provide technological supports for the modernization of Chinese materia medica industry. Thirdly, the Key Technology Study for New Drug Development of Chinese Materia Medica attaches importance on key and common technologies of research information and data digging, activity screening study, effect evaluation, chemical compound isolation and analysis, pharmaceutical form, metabolism study and safety evaluation, which are core steps of R & D of Chinese materia medica.
Nine academic societies are attached to this institute. They are as follows:
1. Chinese Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine-- Professional Committee of Chinese Materia Medica
2. Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine—Professional Committee of Identification Study of Chinese Materia Medica
3. Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine-- Professional Committee of Processing Study of Chinese Materia Medica
4. Chinese Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine--Professional Committee of Clinical Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica
5. Chinese Pharmaceutical Association--Professional Committee of Medicine History
6. Chinese Society of Ecology-- Professional Committee of Chinese Materia Medica Resource Ecology
7. China Association for Promoting Traditional Chinese Medicine—Professional Committee of Chemical Study of Chinese Materia Medica
8. China Association for Promoting Traditional Chinese Medicine—Professional Committee of Pharmaceutical Study of Chinese Materia Medica
9. National Technology Committee for Seed and Seedling Standardization of Chinese Materia Medica
The institute, as the collaborating center of WHO for traditional medicine, implements international cooperation projects and person to person exchanges with research institutes, universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies from more than 80 countries and regions as well as international organizations globally. Meanwhile, experts from the institute deliver lectures on traditional Chinese medicine for international scholars throughout the world.
The Institute is willing to cooperate with colleagues from both domestic and abroad, to study and develop the treasure-house of Chinese medicine through common efforts, and to serve the health undertaking globally.
Institute of Chinese Materia Medica China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences