For immediate release 19 October 1992
Lecture to Describe Modern Study of Chinese Herbs
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“Chinese Medicine: From Ben Cao to New Drug Development” will be the topic of a free public lecture at the Hong Kong Science Museum, Sunday, 25 October. Dr Chun-tao Che, Lecturer in the Chemistry Department of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), will be the speaker. The lecture will be in Cantonese, and will begin at 1 I:00 a.m. in the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Science Museum, 2 Science Rd, Tsimshatsui East.
In recent decades, medicinal herbs are increasingly attracting the attention of the West, particularly the food and biomedical/pharmaceutical industries, as potential sources of new foods and drugs. This lecture will describe the general sequence for the study of Chinese herbal medicine, with specific examples to illustrate the importance of each step. The process begins with a critical review of data in ancient medicinal treatises (e.g., the Ben-Cao), followed by pharmacological evaluation, including safety tests, of the individual plants and multi-component preparations. Active principles are identified and biologically evaluated, and standardised extracts or purified compounds are prepared for clinical studies. Finally, formulation and methods of industrial production are considered.
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Dr Che has more than ten years’ experience in the field of natural products chemistry and a longstanding interest in Chinese medicinal herbs. A native of Hong Kong, he studied at CUHK where he earned a BS (Biology-Chemistry) and MPhil (Biochemistry). At the University of Illinois at Chicago, he earned a PhD (Pharmacognosy) and subsequently joined the research faculty. Dr Che belongs to a number of professional societies, serves as an editorial borad member for two international journals, and acts as a consultant to several institutes and government bureaus in China. Recently, his research has particularly focused on natural products with potential anti-cancer and anti-AIDS properties.
This lecture is part of the second popular science lecture series jointly sponsored by HKUST and the Hong Kong Science Museum. As last year, the new series presents topics of current interest in science and technology. The speakers are professors and lecturers from HKUST with particular expertise in the lecture topics. Six lectures have been scheduled, one on the third or fourth Sunday of each month from July through December.
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