Embracing Change Taking Chinese medicine to the world by Sophie Leung Hong Kong institute gains increasing global audience Benefiting from a worldwide interest in traditional remedies, a government-backed Hong Kong institute has transformed itself from a pure funding agency to a service oriented platform advancing standardisation in the development of Chinese medicine (CM) and providing sector relevant information and commercialisation development for applications. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Institute of Chinese Medicine Limited (HKJCICM), initially concentrated on funding research, but has since established a Chinese Medicine Laboratory and competency in quality control and natural product research, and strengthened project and information management. Turning itself into a multifaceted service provider, the institute is also strengthening business development to facilitate the application and commercialisation of research and development (R&D) activities. "Aligned with the institute's public mission, the transformation is based on its unique status, neutral role and industry and market needs," explains Edmund Lee, executive director, HKJCICM, a subsidiary of the government-owned Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute. Aside from handling project proposals like other funding agencies do, the institute has increasingly focused on applications and applicability by forging R&D partnerships and facilitating commercialisation development with industry players. "We have collaborated with academia and CM experts to publish an encyclopaedia of contemporary medicinal plants, embracing pharmacological, chemical ingredients, research information and applications related to 800 species of medicinal plants, traditionally used in healing," Dr Lee adds. He believes that such efforts will help raise international understanding and development of a common language in the industry, hence improving standardisation, innovation and cross-institutional collaboration. HKJCICM has also built a "Chinese Medicine Hong Kong" information portal that provides news on government policies, regulations, research and market development. For synergy and utility, a CM databank is also under construction for disseminating project information. This will serve as the nucleus for further collaboration with other information providers. Growing profile Responding to requests from within the industry, HKJCICM embarked on an industry initiative in 2007 through its Chinese Medicine Laboratory to develop and provide quality CM chemical markers to support quality control and natural product applied research. With increasing use of CM worldwide, quality chemical markers represent one of the keys in the quality control tool box for assessing or confirming the quality of herbal raw materials, semi-finished or final products, Dr Lee explains. "The purpose is to enhance the accessibility of such tools for research, product development and quality control. Alongside regulatory developments and market trends worldwide, the institute sees growth potential with orders already received from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, the UK and the US," he notes. "To build up a portfolio of projects, HKJCICM leverages scientific and clinical expertise and available resources locally, on the mainland and overseas." With scientific and evidence-based development forming its core, the institute has shifted focus from basic research to applied research. To manage the East and West interface, the institute has installed a seasoned management team with dedicated professional staff across different cultures and disciplines. Its technical, information and business development platforms are positioned to enable the institute to advance developmentally and better service the industry in both the short and long term. HKJCICM is also taking a proactive stance to help shape the future of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong. "Aligned with the process of integrating Chinese and Western medicines, the institute has CM R&D projects which aim to address unmet medical needs," says Dr Lee. For example, while there is no effective medicine available to patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, investment in new herbal product development offers hope for human health promotion and effective illness treatment. It is deemed highly risky for a single firm to research and develop a medicine from start to finish. "The final product is often the result of technological collaboration and business partnerships," Dr Lee explains. Made in Hong Kong While Hong Kong faces competition from its regional neighbours, the city still has the edge as the preferred partner for companies looking to enter the Greater China market, according to Dr Lee. Apart from its financial muscle and marketing expertise, Hong Kong has good infrastructure supporting innovation and links across Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world. HKJCICM helps place Hong Kong on the world map in CM development. Already enjoying a strong reputation in the provision of quality services and products, Hong Kong research centres boast high international standing in basic, applied and also clinical research. Science and marketing expertise are key factors for product differentiation for higher-end markets. The China market also welcomes products tested on scientific and evidence bases according to a new market research report launched by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in partnership with HKJCICM. "The stable legal system in Hong Kong rigorously protects intellectual property. This is also crucial when it comes to innovation and commercialisation," says Dr Lee. Charging ahead, the institute adopts a pragmatic yet visionary approach to advance Chinese medicine in a modern context. "The institute pursues a daunting public mission which embraces tradition, innovation and entrepreneurship. A strong sense of purpose, competency, stakeholder engagement and market orientation are key success factors. Through collective efforts, the institute will help substantiate the value of Chinese medicine for sustained development," Dr Lee concludes. Then and now Before A local agency funding projects and monitoring progress Now Influencing developments through vision, stakeholder engagement and project management An enabler of developments based on competency and partnership A Chinese Medicine Laboratory, capturing the unique and neutral status of HKJCICM for advancing standardisation development and QC of CM Showcasing CM applied research to the international community Service-oriented, technical, information and business development platforms Mainland, Hong Kong and international collaboration Taken from Career Times 5 September 2008, p. C11 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]