On\n18 February 2019, the Chinese government released The Outline of the Strategies\nfor the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area (the\nOutline). Some of the strategies mentioned in the document concern traditional\nChinese medicine. For instance, establishing a high-quality platform for\ntechnology and innovation, providing support for the construction of a\nTraditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park (the\nIndustrial Park) and other major projects to facilitate innovation in Hengqin,\nand providing support for the establishment of a platform to promote the\ndevelopment of the Chinese medicine science and technology industry in Macao.\nSeveral months before the release of the Outline, President Xi Jinping\ninspected the Industrial Park, demonstrating the government\u2019s commitment to\npromoting the development of Chinese medicine.<\/p>
The\nUniversity of Macau\u2019s (UM) Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) and\nState Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (the Lab) have\nestablished a platform for the commercialisation of new technologies in Chinese\nmedicine, in collaboration with Peking University\u2019s State Key Laboratory of\nNatural and Biomimetic Drugs and the Industrial Park in Hengqin. Prof Wang\nYitao, director of both the ICMS and the Lab, says that establishing a presence\nin the Industrial Park is only one step the institute is taking to explore an\ninnovationdriven path that aims to answer the nation\u2019s needs by tapping into\nMacao\u2019s advantages. With the progress the institute has already made,\nintegration with the Greater Bay Area will provide greater scope for personnel\ntraining and research development.<\/p>
Establishing a New Platform for Chinese\nMedicine<\/b><\/p>
Founded\nin 2002, the ICMS hopes to establish a world-class platform for the study of\nChinese medicine quality systems and the development of innovative Chinese\nmedicines. Over the years, the institute has produced many Chinese medicine\nprofessionals and encouraging research results. In 2008, a group of Chinese\nmedicine scholars in Macao, led by Prof Wang, applied to the Ministry of Science\nand Technology to establish a state key laboratory of quality research in\nChinese medicine. In December 2010, the application was approved, leading to\nthe establishment of China\u2019s first state key lab in the field of Chinese\nmedicine. Since its founding, the Lab has received visits from various state\nleaders, including President Xi, former State Council Premier Wen Jiabao, and\nformer Vice President Zeng Qinghong. In 2014, President Xi visited UM. Upon\nlearning of the multi-phase capsule developed by the lab, the first of its kind\nin the world, President Xi encouraged the lab to participate in China\u2019s\ninnovation-driven growth strategy and make a more substantial contribution to\nChinese medicine.<\/p>
Prof\nWang says, \u2018Chinese medicine is a gem of the Chinese civilisation, and it has\nreceived considerable attention worldwide. Ever since its founding, the lab has\nreceived a lot of support from the central and Macao SAR governments. In fact,\nthe central government accords a very important status to the lab, so much so\nthat establishing a platform for promoting the development of the Chinese\nmedicine science and technology industry in Macao has been written into the\nOutline. This means we will have greater scope for further development in\nscientific research, personnel training, and commercialisation of research\nresults.\u2019 In 2018, the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong\nBaptist University, and UM jointly established a centre for innovations in\nChinese medicine in the Greater Bay Area. The centre mainly focuses on the\ndevelopment of innovative Chinese medicines and the study of international\nquality standards for Chinese medicine. Prof Wang explains: \u2018The Greater Bay\nArea has great potential and provides an environment that is conducive to\ninnovation. We want to join hands with other universities in the Greater Bay\nArea so we can combine our strengths and make greater contributions to the\ndevelopment of the Chinese medicine science and technology industry in the\nGreater Bay Area.\u2019<\/p>
Widespread Recognition<\/b><\/p>
Prof\nWang is an eminent expert on Chinese medicine. His main research interest\ninvolves Chinese medicine quality system evaluation. As a researcher, he is\ninnovative and rigorous. As an educator, he believes in tailoring his teaching\nmethods to student aptitude. Under his leadership, the faculty members and\npostgraduate students in the institute have won numerous honours and widespread\nrecognition from their peers both at home and abroad. A research project on\nusing DNA barcoding for identifying the species of medicinal plants, jointly\nconducted by Prof Wang\u2019s team and researchers at Peking Union Medical College\nand other institutions, received a second prize of the State Scientific and\nTechnological Progress Award in 2016, a Medal of Merit-Education from the Macao\nSAR government in 2011, and a special award at the Macao Science and Technology\nAwards in 2018.<\/p>
Two\nprogrammes offered by the institute, in the areas of Clinical Medicine, and\nPharmacology & Toxicology, respectively, as well as three other programmes\noffered by UM, in Engineering, Computer Science, and Social Sciences, General,\nare ranked among the top 1% in Essential Sciences Indicators (ESI)\nrankings. According to Prof Wang, there\nare currently five research centres under the institute, which are dedicated to\nstudying the effectiveness, safety, stability, controllability, and clinical\napplications of Chinese medicines. With the support of the Macao SAR\ngovernment, the target screening centre and pharmaceutical engineering centre\nbecame operational earlier this year. \u2018The centres are equipped with\nstate-of-the-art devices, which are used in the separation and analysis of the\ningredients of Chinese medicines; structure identification; studies of\nmetabolomics, proteomics, pharmacological activity, and mechanism of action;\ndevelopment of new forms of drugs and new techniques; and quality evaluation.\n\u2018We hope to create world-class conditions to support the state key lab in its\nscientific research, commercialisation of research results, and product development,\u2019\nsays Prof Wang.<\/p>
Nurturing Innovative Professionals<\/b><\/p>
Prof\nWang adopts a meticulous approach to education. Soon after he joined the ICMS,\nhe identified the mission of the institute: combining traditional Chinese\nmedicine with advanced theories and methodologies in biomedical sciences to\nproduce innovative, interdisciplinary Chinese medicine professionals with an\ninternational perspective. He believes there is an urgent need for such Chinese\nmedicine professionals in Macao and China in order to promote the development\nof the Chinese medicine and the biomedical technology industry. In 2002, the\ninstitute launched Macao\u2019s first master\u2019s degree programmes in Chinese medical\nsciences and medicinal administration. A doctoral programme and a bachelor\u2019s degree\nprogramme in biomedical sciences were launched in 2004 and 2011 respectively,\nwith the latter being included in the curriculum of the Faculty of Health\nSciences in 2015.<\/p>
Over\nthe years, the ICMS has produced more than 500 graduates, many of whom are now\nkey players or work in senior management positions in medicine, health, and\nother related industries in Macao. Those who graduated from PhD programmes and\nchose to pursue further education were accepted by world-renowned universities\nsuch as Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, the\nUniversity of Cambridge, and Leiden University. After graduating from these\nuniversities, some became professors or were appointed to other senior academic\npositions at renowned universities in China such as Peking University, Tsinghua\nUniversity, Zhejiang University, and UM play a key role in promoting the\ninnovation and internationalisation of Chinese medicine in Macao and mainland\nChina, while others were hired as senior management or research scientists at\npharmaceutical companies ranked among the top 500 in the world.<\/p>
Prof Wang is very excited about the\nachievements of the alumni. He says, \u2018In terms of academic programmes offered\nby our institute, it\u2019s worth mentioning a few things. First, we are innovative\nand meet international standards in our curriculum design. Second, English is\nour teaching language. Third, we are engaged in innovative, interdisciplinary\nresearch and launch joint programmes with renowned universities in the world.\nThese three characteristics have made our institute the focus of attention in\nthe international community.\u2019<\/p>
Promoting Chinese Medicine in the Greater\nBay Area<\/b><\/p>
On 6\nMarch 2011, with state leaders as witnesses, the governments of Guangdong\nprovince and the Macao SAR signed a framework collaboration agreement,\nsignalling the official start of close cooperation between Guangdong and Macao.\nOn 19 April of the same year, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the\nIndustrial Park, the first collaborative project between Guangdong and Macao.\nIn 2010, the institute began to fully participate in the preparation and\nconstruction of the Industrial Park in Hengqin by providing support for the\ndevelopment and registration of new products, quality evaluation, pilot-scale\nproduction, personnel training, and the establishment of a centre for\ninnovations in Chinese medicine, a joint project between UM and Peking\nUniversity. In 2018, on the first leg of his tour of Guangdong province in\ncelebration of the 40th anniversary of China\u2019s reform and opening-up policy,\nPresident Xi visited the Industrial Park in Hengqin, where he made a special\nstop at the centre for innovations in Chinese medicine and talked to several\nalumni of the ICMS.<\/p>
Over\nthe past decade, the ICMS has completed four major collaborative projects,\nnamely planning for the Chinese medicine science and technology industry in\nGuangdong and Macao, the feasibility study for the Industrial Park, the\nestablishment of a big data platform for Chinese medicine, and the development\nof an innovative research team. The institute provides support in international\ntraining, quality control, the development of new forms of medicine, the\nestablishment of a big data platform, and the construction of other software\nand hardware facilities, in order to support the Chinese medicine science and\ntechnology industry in Macao and Guangdong, and to promote economic\ndiversification in Macao. It also collaborates with the Industrial Park to\nnurture Chinese medicine professionals for countries and regions covered by the\nBelt and Road Initiative as well as Portuguese-speaking countries.<\/p>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>
With\nMacao\u2019s booming economy and the rapid development of the Greater Bay Area, the\nneed for Chinese medicine professionals in Macao has never been greater. This\nbrings new opportunities for the institute. Prof Wang says that the institute\nwill continue to nurture the high-calibre professionals who are urgently needed\nby China and Macao, to follow the innovation-driven growth strategy, to\nprioritise the development of quality standards, to develop innovative Chinese\nmedicine products, and to establish a platform to promote the development of\nthe Chinese medicine science and technology industry in Macao as well as the\ninternationalisation of Chinese medicine.<\/p>