A Novel TCM-based Network Pharmacology Framework to Human Diseases and Drug-disease Relationship

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is now practised worldwide for disease treatment using herbal ingredients. Although extensive research has been conducted for decades to quantify the effectiveness and efficacy of individual TCM compounds for drug discovery in a bottom-up manner, the pharmacological principles in TCM theory, developed over thousands of years, remain elusive from the perspective of modern medicine. This has impeded the modernization and standardization of TCM.

To address this issue, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team of local and international scientists from various fields, such as physics, traditional Chinese medicine, data science, computer science, chemistry, and biology, among others. The team aims to elucidate the pharmacological principles of TCM theory in a top-down manner using state-of-the-art big-data and AI technologies, and to foster a novel TCM-based network pharmacology that quantitatively predicts disease-herb associations. This project aligns with the establishment and development of Hong Kong's first Chinese Medicine Hospital by Hong Kong Baptist University. It aims to provide a new perspective and objective basis for the diagnosis and treatment process of TCM and the integration of TCM evidence-based medicine with modern biology. As TCM strives to become an integral part of global healthcare, this project will help better understand its working principles and integrate TCM with other treatment methods, thereby contributing to the wellness of people worldwide.

Funding

Research Grant Council - Collaborative Research Fund