This proposal is a response to an RFA (AT-03-002) from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) entitled """"""""PLANNING GRANT FOR INTERNATIONAL CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (PICRC)"""""""". The unique position of Johns Hopkins in Singapore and the attributes of Singapore itself make Singapore an excellent site for an NIH NCCAM regional International Center for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICRC). The proposal is from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and the National University of Singapore and will include collaboration with units in China as well. The Principal Investigator, Paul S. Lietman is a physician-scientist with considerable experience in the organization and leadership of research entities that are focused on clinical research, clinical pharmacology, and the building of an international research unit in Singapore. He and the Singapore Co-Investigator, Eu Leong YONG, also a physician-scientist, have worked closely to assemble a team in Singapore (with JHU collaborators) that could significantly enhance the infrastructure of an embryonic CAM research capacity in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The goal of this proposal will be on the creation of a full-fledged grant application for an International Center for CAM Research (ICRC) in Singapore that includes 3 projects and a core facility. The proposal focuses on several of the most highly significant areas of CAM research, namely: 1. The standardization of TCM products to be studied by plant genomic and biochemical means, the reliable sourcing of herbs and edible plants, and the formulation and manufacturing of products following GMP 2. The development and validation of biomarkers that will facilitate the rigorous study of potentially bioactive herbal and food substances in humans 3. The elucidation of the cancer chemopreventative properties of edible tropical plants 4. The careful and rigorous conduct of clinical research that is essential to prove or disprove the biologic effects of potential therapeutic agents in humans and the clinical studies of interactions of TCMs with commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agents.
