China and Italy tag team to create TCM institute

A partnership between China and Italy that created the Joint Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine is up and running at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The new institute, created by the university, the National Research Council of Italy's Institute of Biomedical Technology and the SAT Fund, is expected to strengthen international academic cooperation and promote the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) immunization.

Xu Jianguang, president of the university, said he hopes researchers from China and Italy will actively participate in research and cooperation related to infections, inflammatory diseases, oncology, artificial intelligence and big data, among other fields, to promote the international use and modernization of TCM.

University officials said the institute is an open research platform dedicated to the research and development of TCM and its practical application in science, technology, economies and social development. It will leverage know how from the two countries in the field of biomedical research, especially the study of bioinformatics, through cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence in molecular medicine. It will also serve as an incubator and impetus for interdisciplinary development of TCM, immunology, computer science and artificial intelligence.

Xue Zengyun, managing partner of the SAT Fund, said the establishment of the new institute is an important milestone for the development of TCM in China and Italy, and the SAT Fund will actively promote the implementation of projects involving different parties