Launch Date: 8th October 2024
Host Institution: King’s College London, UK
Project Director: Dr. Qihe Xu
Strategic Positioning of the Project
This project represents a significant milestone in the development of Integrative Chinese Medicine (ICM), dedicated to:
- Establishing a high-level platform for international exchange and collaborations dedicated to ICM
- Promoting the deep integration of the wisdom from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with modern medicine and biomedical science
- Creating sustainable mechanisms for innovation catalysed by an ICM approach
Features and Plan
Phase One Priorities (2024-2025)
- Digital Platform Development
- Creation of a dedicated professional website and portal for the CICM initiative
- Establishment of a digital resource library for TCM literature
- Academic Research Hub
- Focus on four key research areas:
- International standards and good practice guidelines in TCM and ICM research
- An ICM approach to understanding the kidney and preventing and treating kidney diseases
- An ICM approach to the R&D of anti-fibrotics
- Development of a world-class centre for nurturing ICM talents
- Focus on four key research areas:
- International Exchange Platform
- Regular high-level ICM forums
- Formation of an interregional, interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration network
Phase Two Development Plan (2026-)
- Establishment of a dedicated fund to recruit global leaders in ICM research
- Expansion of translational research, particularly in WHO-prioritised health areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health, etc
- Development of mechanisms to enable sustainable ICM research, teaching and clinical innovation
Project Foundations
- Clinical Practice Base: King’s College London’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, teaching hospitals and Health Centre have already begun integrating TCM into curricula and clinical protocols
- Academic Value: King’s College London has a strong track record and an extensive international network for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine research. TCM, as a medical system with complementary features versus conventional medicine, is gaining increasing recognition among scholars.
Project Vision
The project will follow a three-step strategy:
- High-level platform establishment → 2. Research-intensive growth → 3. Evidence-based clinical translation
Ultimately, it aims to meet the unmet medical needs of the NHS (and the healthcare systems worldwide) by integrating the complementary wisdom, expertise and resources from TCM into tomorrow’s healthcare.
The original report (in Chinese)：Chinanews.com report