NCCAM Research Centers Program Descriptions
On this page:
- Acupuncture
- Antioxidants
- Botanicals
- Chiropractic
- Energy Medicine
- Mind-Body Medicine
- Osteopathy
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture
Center of Excellence for the Neuroimaging of Acupuncture Effects on Human Brain Activity
Specialty: Acupuncture
Principal Investigator: Bruce Rosen, M.D., Ph.D.
Address:
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department of NMR/Radiology
149 13th St., Bldg 149 #2301
Charlestown, MA 02129
Description: This Center aims to increase understanding of the neural basis for the effects of acupuncture through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging. The Center will test the hypothesis that acupuncture generates a widespread response in the brain, and that the brain's limbic system plays a central role in this response. This Center will also explore the neural basis of deqi, a unique acupuncture sensation that is considered essential to clinical efficacy in traditional Chinese acupuncture.
NESA Acupuncture Research Collaborative
Specialty: Acupuncture
Principal Investigator: Peter Wayne, Ph.D.
Address:
New England School of Acupuncture
Research Department
40 Belmont Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Description: This Developmental Center for Research will bring together leaders from the Oriental medicine (OM) and conventional medicine communities to critically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture, and to develop sound methodologies for acupuncture research. The Center will strengthen and build upon ongoing collaborations between the NESA and two other HMS-affiliated institutions, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston. The Center will support three exploratory studies, including one that will try to assess the reliability of a method for reaching traditional OM diagnoses in the context of clinical trials. This study will also explore issues related to the individualization of acupuncture treatments in the context of clinical trials, appropriate controls for acupuncture clinical trials, and the development of outcome measures consistent with the philosophy of traditional OM. Other studies will assess the benefits of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of chronic pain in young women with endometriosis, and in the treatment of women with ovarian cancer who are receiving chemotherapy. Academic and administrative mentoring programs are an integral part of this Center's mission. An important goal of the Center will be to enable NESA to play the lead role in the future submission to NIH of competitive applications that build upon these exploratory studies.
Antioxidants
Center of Excellence for Research on CAM Antioxidant Therapies
Specialty: Antioxidants
Principal Investigator: Balz Frei, Ph.D.
Address:
The Linus Pauling Institute
Oregon State University
571 Weniger Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
Description: Using cell culture studies and relevant animal models, this Center will determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms of action and in vivo safety and efficacy of selected antioxidant therapies in aging, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). These goals will be accomplished through three highly interactive projects. Project 1 will investigate the hypothesis that metal chelators and dithiol compounds such as desferioxamine, EDTA, and lipoic acid, inhibit endothelial activation and, thus, atherosclerosis by preventing oxidative inactivation of redox-sensitive cellular signal transducers and subsequent induction of gene transcription by redox-sensitive transcription factors. Project 2 will determine the mechanisms of how lipoic acid improves transcriptional regulation of glutamylcysteine ligase gene expression and thus reverses the gene-related losses of cellular detoxication system. Project 3 will study the role of the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase, in the pathogenesis of ALS and how antioxidant therapies may modulate the progression of ALS through this enzyme.
Translational Research Center for CAM Therapy of Asthma
Specialty: Antioxidants
Principal Investigator: David Peden, M.D.
Address:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Department of Pediatrics
104 Mason Farm Road
Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7310
Description: This center will conduct bench to bedside research to identify antioxidant CAM therapies for asthma. Clinical and animal studies will investigate whether these treatments can decrease airway inflammation in response to common triggers of asthma, such as ozone or inhaled allergens. Laboratory studies will attempt to understand the biological bases of action and effects of antioxidant vitamins, as well as of antioxidant compounds from soy and red wine.
Botanicals
Botanicals Research Center for Age Related Diseases
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Connie M. Weaver, Ph.D.
Address:
Purdue University Dept of Foods and Nutrition
700 West State Street
Rm 214 Stone Hall
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059
URL: www.cfs.purdue.edu/fn/bot/index.htm
Description:
This basic research center organizes and maintains a multidisciplinary program for experimental research on botanicals as dietary supplements with an emphasis on polyphenols for age-related diseases. Polyphenols encompass a diverse group of chemical components widely distributed in plants, many of which are consumed both for their nutritive value and purported medicinal properties. The speculated health-promoting effects of polyphenols are generally attributed to their antioxidant action, but other biological mechanisms may be involved and will be explored. The proposed research agenda of the Purdue center is clinically relevant to the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease, and to three leading causes of diminished quality of life, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, and cataracts. The Purdue researchers collaborate closely with investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), under the direction of Dr. Stephen Barnes.
Botanical Research Center: Metabolic Syndrome
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Dr. William Cefalu, Ph.D.
Address:
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Division of Nutrition & Chronic Disease
6400 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
URL: brc.pbrc.edu/
Description: Researchers will conduct basic and clinical studies to determine how selected botanicals may influence molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms by which select botanicals may prevent or reverse the development of insulin resistance, the key pathophysiologic feature of the metabolic syndrome. Investigators will study Russian tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Shilianhua (Sinocrassula indica) and grape anthocyanins. The metabolic syndrome, which consists of obesity, insulin resistance, development of type 2 diabetes, and accelerated cardiovascular disease has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The Pennington research group will collaborate with the Center of Agriculture and the Environment of Rutgers University.
CAM as Countermeasures Against Infectious and Inflammatory Disease
Principal Investigator: Mark A. Jutila, Ph.D.
Address:
Montana State University, Bozeman
309 Montana Hall
Bozeman, MT 59717
This center will study biologically based CAM therapies and their effects on immune system function in infectious and inflammatory diseases. One project focuses on effects of botanical extracts—from apple polyphenols, which are concentrated in apple skins, and from yamoa, which comes from the bark of an African gum tree—on white blood cells, using models of infection and inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. A second project examines two compounds in licorice root—glycyrrhizin and 18-glyrrhetinic acid—for their potential antiviral effects in models of influenza and small intestine infection. A third project will focus on bacterial products to see how they treat autoimmune diseases, like arthritis, which may also help build understanding of probiotics' action.
Center for CAM Research on Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases
Speciality: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Prakash Nagarkatti, Ph.D.
Address:
University of South Carolina
School of Medicine
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Columbia, SC 29208
Description: This center will focus on the effects of plant and herbal products on preventing or arresting inflammation in diseases caused by immune system breakdown. Using an animal model, researchers will investigate the mechanisms by which resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of red grapes, might aid in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The center will also examine anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the herb American ginseng in colitis and the actions of a compound from hemp in treating autoimmune hepatitis.
Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research in Women's Health
Speciality: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Dr. Norman Farnsworth, Ph.D.
Address:
PCRPS College of Pharmacy
833 South Wood Street, MC 877
Chicago, IL 60612-7231
URL: uic.edu/pharmacy/research/diet
Description: The center will focus on several botanical
ingredients used in herbal supplements that have potential benefits for women's health, particularly therapies for symptoms of menopause. The researchers use in vitro and in vivo bioassays to investigate mechanisms of action. Active constituents are then identified and products standardized accordingly. The clinical team is conducting a Phase II clinical trial of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) and will also conduct a Phase I study of hops (Humulus lupus). In addition to conducting basic and clinical research, the University of Illinois at Chicago group will support research training in pharmacognosy (the study of drugs of natural origin).
Center for Botanical Immunomodulators
Speciality: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Dr. Barrie Cassileth, Ph.D.
Address:
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
Department of Integrative Medicine Service
1275 York Avenue, Box 303
New York, NY 10021
Description: The thematic focus of this center is botanical immunomodulators relevant to the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. The investigators will study echinacea (Echinacea purpurea), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), turmeric (Curcuma longa), maitake and a traditional Chinese formula with previously described immunomodulatory activities. The institutional partners for the center are Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, The Rockefeller University, and the Institute of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Center for Botanical Lipids
Speciality: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Dr. Floyd Chilton, Ph.D.
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Department of Physiological & Pharmacology
Medical Center Blvd
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
Description: All projects in the center focus on specific fatty acids derived from a single biochemical pathway involving the elongation and desaturation of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Center scientists will conduct studies to examine biological mechanisms and clinical applications of botanical sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids which may have benefit in the prevention and treatment of anti-inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and asthma.
Center for Herbal Research on Colorectal Cancer
Principal Investigator: Chun-Su Yuan, M.D., Ph.D.
Address:
University of Chicago
5801 S. Ellis Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Dr. Yuan and his colleagues will examine the anti-tumor effects of different preparations of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). They will seek to learn more, through laboratory and animal studies, about how these traditionally used botanicals act upon cellular and molecular pathways involved in cancer.
Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Diane Birt, Ph.D.
Address:
215 MacKay
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
URL: cdfin.iastate.edu/botanical/
Description:
This botanical research center will study Hypericum (St. John’s wort), Prunella (Self-heal), and several types of Echinacea (for example, Purple Coneflower) for their anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. The studies will focus on identifying compounds and chemical profiles for anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activities and complement research at other centers that are studying botanicals and inflammation. In recent years inflammation has been identified as a common denominator for a number of chronic diseases, such as heart disease. The center will bring together a multidisciplinary team from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and Yale University.
The International Center for Indigenous Phytotherapy Studies: HIV/AIDS, Secondary Infections and Immune Modulation
Specialty: Phytotherapy
Principal Investigator: William Folk, Ph.D.
Address:
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
MA 202 Medical Sciences Building
Columbia, MO 65211
This center will study the safety and efficacy of traditional African plant-based therapies already in wide-spread use for HIV/AIDS and some of its secondary infections. Researchers will conduct a small clinical trial using sutherlandia (Lessertia frutescens) in adults with HIV and conduct preclinical and clinical research with African wormwood (Artemisia afra), which is used by traditional healers for treatment of many conditions seen in people with HIV/AIDS.
More information about specific international centers >>>Protective Roles of Grape-Derived Polyphenols in Alzheimer's Disease
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Giulio Maria Pasinetti, M.D., Ph.D.
Address:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry
One Gustave L Levy Place
Box 1230
New York, NY 10029
Description:This center will conduct preclinical studies to identify natural compounds extracted from grapes, known as polyphenols that might have a protective role in Alzheimer's disease. Using an animal model, the research team will then investigate the biological mechanisms by which these grape-derived compounds may affect changes in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and associated with cognitive decline.
Trametes Versicolor-Induced Immunopotentiation
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Joel Slaton, M.D.
Address:
University of Minnesota
Center for Spirituality and Healing
420 Delaware Street, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Description: This team will explore, at the laboratory, translational, and clinical research levels, the biological basis of the effects of mushroom extracts on the immune system's response to tumors, and the feasibility of using the extracts for both cancer therapy and reduction of radiation therapy side effects. This developmental center will synergize the University of Minnesota's tradition of conventional biomedical research with Bastyr's expertise in naturopathy and traditional Oriental medical systems.
UCLA Center for Excellence in Pancreatic Diseases
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Vay Liang Go, M.D.
Address:
University of California, Los Angeles
Division of Digestive Diseases
900 Veteran Avenue, Warren Hall, Room 13-146
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1786
Description: This center will study plant-derived compounds found in a variety of dietary and herbal supplements and traditional herbal medicines, including antioxidants such as curcumin (a component of the spice turmeric) and lycopene (the component that gives tomatoes their color), and preparations of green tea and Scutellaria baicalensis (a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine). Using animal models, the investigators will study the mechanisms and effects of these plant compounds on the prevention and/or treatment of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
Chiropractic
Developmental Center for the Study of Mechanisms and Effects of Chiropractic Manipulation
Specialty: Chiropractic
Principal Investigator: William Meeker, D.C., M.P.H.
Address:
Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research
Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research
741 Brady Street
Davenport, IA 52803
URL: www.palmer.edu
Description: The long-range goal of this Developmental Center for Research on CAM is to improve understanding of the clinical role and mechanisms of action of chiropractic spinal manipulation. Three preclinical projects will explore the mechanisms underlying chiropractic manipulation, studying its biological effects on nerve regulation, biomechanics and joints, as well as its effects on behavior. A fourth project will explore variables that predict clinical effectiveness of spinal manipulation in patients with lower back pain. Investigators will use pilot data obtained with the support of this three-year award to submit competitive grant applications to the National Institutes of Health, and will provide research training experiences for future CAM investigators. The Center will build on the progress made at the NCCAM-supported Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research at Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research.
Energy Medicine
Center for Mechanisms Underlying Millimeter Wave Therapy
Specialty: Millimeter Wave Therapy
Principal Investigator: Marvin Ziskin, M.D.
Address:
Temple University Commonwealth
Center for Biomedical Physics
3420 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19140
This center will study the mechanisms of action of millimeter wave therapy (use of low-intensity millimeter wavelength electromagnetic waves) for a variety of diseases and conditions, as well as looking at the therapy's use in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain and pruritis (itching).
Mind-Body Medicine
Center on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Stress Arousal, and Immune Response in Early HIV
Specialty: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Principal Investigator: Susan Folkman, Ph.D.
Address:
University of California, San Francisco
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
3333 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94143-1726
Description: This center will investigate the use of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in people with early stage HIV infection. MBSR uses meditation techniques to reduce stress and better manage emotions. A large, randomized, controlled trial will determine whether MBSR, a low-risk intervention, could slow disease progression and delay the need for antiretroviral treatment. Two more closely linked projects will examine the effects of MBSR on stress processes and on the immune system.
Complementary/Alternative Medicine: Expectancy and Outcome
Specialty: Mind-Body Medicine
Principal Investigator: Barry Oken, M.D.
Address:
Oregon Health and Science University
Department Of Neurology
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland,OR 97239
Description: This collaboration will focus on defining and understanding patient expectation and other factors related to patient-provider interactions that produce desired biological effects. The long-term goal of the investigators is to develop strategies to maximize the benefits from these factors, improve clinical trial design, and gain insight into mechanisms underlying mind-body medicine. This new center will foster the existing relationships within a unique collaborative effort involving Oregon Health and Science University, the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, and Western States Chiropractic College.
Metabolic and Immunologic Effects of Meditation
Specialty: Meditation
Principal Investigator: Frederick M. Hecht, M.D.
Address:
University of California, San Francisco
3333 California Street, Suite 315
San Francisco, CA 94143-0962
Description: This center will study a program combining mindfulness meditation, mindful eating (the practice of awareness and attentiveness in the present moment while eating), and a diet and exercise program, for use in obesity and metabolic syndrome. They will test whether this program helps alter participants' hormonal responses to stress and helps enhance and maintain weight loss. Metabolic syndrome involves a cluster of abnormalities—including increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance—that increases one's risk for developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Wisconsin Center for the Neuroscience and Psychophysiology of Meditation
Specialty: Meditation
Principal Investigator: Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D.
Address:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
21 N. Park Street, Suite 6401
Madison, WI 53715-1218
Description: This center will examine the impact of two forms of meditation—loving-kindness/compassion meditation and mindfulness meditation—on the brain and body, focusing on the regulation of emotion and on emotional reactivity. Potential applications in health include biological and behavioral processes linked with emotions and/or stress, such as recurrent depression.
Osteopathy
Mechanisms of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
Specialty: Osteopathy
Principal Investigator: Michael Smith, Ph.D.
Address:
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Department of Integrative Physiology
3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth,TX 76107
Description: This developmental center will conduct laboratory, animal, and patient studies of the mechanisms of action and efficacy of osteopathic manipulation. The collaboration between the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine will support three interrelated studies on the effects of osteopathic manipulation on the musculoskeletal system, on lymphatic fluid flow, edema and immune function, and on the sympathetic nervous system.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Alternative Therapies for Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Specialty: Traditional Chinese Medicine
Principal Investigator: Yue-Wei Lee, Ph.D.
Address:
McLean Hospital/Harvard Medcal School
Mailman Research Center
Bio-organic and Natural Product Laboratory
115 Mill Street
Belmont, MA 02478
Description: Center investigators will evaluate whether two traditional Chinese herbal remedies and an electrical acupuncture technique can be used to prevent addiction relapse and craving for alcohol and drugs of abuse. The four interactive projects will encompass the biochemical and biological standardization and characterization of the herbal remedies, test their effect in vitro and in animals, and perform a clinical evaluation of efficacy. In addition, the effectiveness of the electroacupuncture technique in animals and human participants will be evaluated.
Center for Arthritis and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Specialty: Traditional Chinese Medicine
Principal Investigator: Brian Berman, M.D.
Address:
Kernan Hospital
Center for Integrative Medicine
2200 Kernan Drive
Baltimore, MD 21207
Description: This center will study traditional Chinese medicine approaches—acupuncture and herbs—for the treatment of arthritis. Researchers will conduct a clinical trial of an 11-herb Chinese formula (known as HLXL) for osteoarthritis of the knee; assess acupuncture's effect on inflammatory pain in an animal model; and study the efficacy of HLXL in an animal model of autoimmune arthritis.
Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy
Specialty: Chinese Herbal Therapy
Principal Investigator: Xiu-Min Li, M.D.
Address:
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
1 Gustave Levy Place
Box 1198
New York, NY 10029
Center researchers will investigate a three-herb Chinese formula (known as ASHMI) as a therapy for allergic asthma. Studies of the herbal formula will look at mechanism of action in an animal model, characterize the herbs' active components, and investigate the formula's use in asthma patients.
Center for Phytomedicine Research
Specialty: Botanicals
Principal Investigator: Barbara N. Timmermann, Ph.D.
Address:
Arizona Center for Phytomedicine Research
University of Arizona College of Pharmacy
1703 E. Mabel
P.O. Box 210207
Tucson, AZ 85721-0207
Description:
The Center will focus on three botanicals (ginger, turmeric, and boswellia) widely used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Ayurveda, a medical system primarily practiced in India for 5,000 years, includes diet and herbal remedies, while emphasizing the body, mind, and spirit in disease prevention and treatment. The UA researchers propose to identify the active constituents of these three herbs and study their pharmacological activity. This research will lead to clinical studies of arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions, including respiratory diseases such as asthma. The UA group is recognized for their work in natural products chemistry research. It is anticipated that their future research efforts also will be important to the field of complementary and alternative medicine.
Functional Bowel Disorders in Chinese Medicine
Specialty: Traditional Chinese Medicine
Principal Investigator: Brian Berman, M.D.
Address:
Kernan Hospital
Center for Integrative Medicine
2200 Kernan Drive
Baltimore, MD 21207
Description: This center will conduct multidisciplinary research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices-acupuncture and herbs—for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Researchers will study effects of acupuncture and a TCM herbal preparation in an animal model of IBS and conduct a preliminary study of the herbal preparation with IBS patients.
