Institutions team up to launch doctorate in cancer research

Academia Sinica and China Medical University (CMU) yesterday signed an agreement for a joint doctoral program in cancer research and drug discovery, scheduled to begin as early as next year.

The doctoral program seeks to develop new treatments for cancer patient and methods of cancer prevention.

Under program, students will attend courses at CMU, while conducting research at Academia Sinica. The doctoral degree will be from the university, Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) said at the signing ceremony.

"CMU is renowned for its strength in traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology, as well as its distinguished achievements in cancer research. Since Academia Sinica is also highly interested in those fields, the joint effort will hopefully produce results," Wong told the Taipei Times.

Students be free to use Academia Sinica laboratories and equipment, Wong said.

The laboratories have High Throughput System equipment for drug research that is capable of enhancing the selection of natural materials for certain qualities, Wong said, allowing researchers to process as many as 1 million compounds per day.

In addition, the expertise of Academia Sinica researchers in the fields of organic chemistry, biochemistry and drug development will further enhance the success of the inter-disciplinary degree program, he said.

In addition to contributing to the program with academic guidance and access to equipment, Academia Sinica will sponsor doctoral candidates with scholarships of up to NT$24,000 per month in the first and second years of the five-year program, Wong said.

"CMU is extremely honored to have the opportunity to work with Academia Sinica, the nation's highest academic institution," CMU president Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) said.

"The joint program differs from traditional doctoral programs in that it draws resources not from a single department at one school, but from multidisciplinary departments at two academic institutions," he said.

The program therefore seeks applicants with multidisciplinary backgrounds interested in cancer research who can take advantage of the abundant resources, he said.

Although Chinese herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years, it is considered "supplementary" treatment in modern medicine, Wong said, despite the lack of research on many of the ingredients used in the herbal drugs.

"Half of the 2,000-odd clinical drugs currently used in the world contain plant extracts. By building on our lead in knowledge of herbal remedies, Taiwan can improve its competitive edge in the global medical field," Huang said.

The program, set to enroll 20 students in the first year, is waiting for the Ministry of Education's seal of approval.

"Should the ministry give us the green light, we plan to start in the next academic year," he said.