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Letter of Intent to Collaborate on CAM/TM Research Involving Various Agencies of the Government of China and NCCAM
On April 19, 2006, NCCAM Director Stephen E. Straus, M.D. signed a "Letter of Intent (LOI) on International Collaboration in Complementary, Alternative, and Traditional Medicine Research" with three of the principal Chinese Government agencies most involved in study of traditional Chinese medicine. These include the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The focal point of the LOI is an agreement to foster and stimulate additional scientific exchange and collaboration between individual scientists and research institutions in both countries in order to advance the scientific discipline of Complementary and Alternative Medicine/Traditional Medicine (CAM/TM) research.
The project will help advance specific international goals and objectives of NCCAM, as defined in its Strategic Plan, related to:
- Increased global capacity for CAM/TM research.
- Greater sharing among investigators and institutions of scientific knowledge and resources.
- Creation of opportunities for partnership on specific studies.
It will also provide opportunities to study the ways in which practitioners and researchers have successfully integrated conventional/western medical concepts and practices with those of traditional Chinese medicine in practice and in research. Similar specific strategic goals and objectives of the Chinese Agencies related to traditional Chinese medicine research will also be addressed.
The following priority areas of mutual interest have been identified:
- Basic and clinical research on acupuncture.
- Development of methodology for research involving:
- Study of complex simultaneous interventions (e.g., herbal medicine mixtures, or mixed modality approaches, etc.).
- Study of individualized interventions.
- Integration of traditional and modern/western diagnostic approaches and criteria.
- Utilization of subjective or patient-reported endpoints for safety and efficacy in clinical research on CAM/TM.
- Integration of traditional and modern/western endpoints for safety and efficacy in clinical research on CAM/TM.
Activities that might be carried out in support of this Letter of Intent include:
- Exchange of information regarding institutional priorities and plans, and important research findings.
- Fostering scientific collaborations between individual Chinese and American scientists.
- Fostering other opportunities for scientific exchange and dialogue between individual Chinese and American scientists.
- Joint funding of individual collaborative research and training projects that otherwise satisfy the criteria of scientific merit, relevance, and priority of both countries.
- Inclusion and participation of qualified experts in scientific workshops, conferences, and symposia.
With this Letter of Intent, NCCAM and its partner Chinese agencies hope to:
- Leverage the scientific expertise and resources of numerous Chinese and American agencies and institutions toward the advancement of CAM/TM research and research methodology.
- Increase global CAM/TM research capacity by emphasizing collaborations that link experienced and successful biomedical research institutions and investigators with colleagues steeped in CAM/TM care and research in other countries.
