Introduction to the Sate Key Laboratory of Mechanism and Quality of Chinese Medicine
The State Key Laboratory of Mechanism and Quality of Chinese Medicine was formerly known as the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China in 2010. It was restructured into the State Key Laboratory of Mechanism and Quality of Chinese Medicine in January 2025. This represents a significant initiative by the central government dedicated to advancing the internationalization of Chinese medicine, promoting the appropriate diversification of Macao's economy, and enhancing Macao's scientific and technological level.
Adhering to the principle of "What the Nation Needs, What Macao Excels In," the State Key Laboratory is oriented towards the treatment of major diseases with Chinese medicine. Through in-depth research into mechanisms and small-molecules basis, it aims to provide innovative technologies and original achievements for the evaluation of quality and safety in Chinese medicine. Simultaneously, it strengthens innovation in novel drug discovery and product development, improves the clinical efficacy, promotes the modernization and industrialization of Chinese medicine, and propels Chinese medicine onto the global stage.
The State Key Laboratory currently has nearly 300 researchers and postgraduate students. Among them, 47 are principle investigators at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, including a Nobel Laureate, Academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chair Professors, Professors, Distinguished Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors. All the above principle investigators hail from renowned teaching and research institutions both domestically and internationally. They are proficient in both Chinese and English, possess excellent research experience and international perspectives, forming a multidisciplinary, well-structured, and robust research team integrating talents from various relevant fields such as chemistry, biology, and pharmacology.
The State Key Laboratory of Mechanism and Quality of Chinese Medicine focuses on the following three major research directions and five key areas.
Three Major Research Directions:
i) Innovative technologies and methodologies for quality evaluation and mechanistic research of Chinese medicine;
ii) Innovative drug research and development based on traditional Chinese medicine;
iii) Precision diagnosis and therapeutic methods for complex diseases.
Five Key Areas:
i) Establishment of new technologies for quality evaluation and new drug R&D based on 'dark matter' derived from Chinese medicine;
ii) Research on the quality, efficacy, and mechanisms of precious Chinese medicinal materials;
iii) Development of innovative drugs based on ion channels and novel targets;
iv) Quality and efficacy evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials from outer space mutagenesis breeding;
v) Research and development of novel anti-pulmonary fibrosis drugs and anti-aging products based on RNA epigenetics.
In line with the development goals and main research areas of the State Key Laboratory, it currently houses 10 research laboratories and centers: the Laboratory for Quality Assessment and Control of Chinese Medicines, the Laboratory for Bioorganic and Chinese Materia Medica Chemistry, the Center for Omics Technology and Innovative Drug Research, the Macau Center For MS and NMR Analysis, the Center for Safety and Quality Assurance of Chinese Medicines and Foods, the Laboratory of Structural Biology and AI-based Drug Design, the Laboratory of Animal Models in Translational Medicine, the Laboratory for New Formulation Technology of Chinese Medicinal Preparations, the Laboratory of Ion Channel Biophysics and Innovative Drug Discovery, and the Laboratory for Bioassay and Molecular Pharmacology of Chinese Medicines. In 2020, with a special funding from Macao SAR, the Nobel Laureate Workstation "Dr. Neher’s Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery" was also established.
The State Key Laboratory possesses a series of advanced, sophisticated, and high-end experimental instruments and equipment. This includes nearly 30 various Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) systems, alongside a range of high-end chemical analysis and systems biology omics technology research equipment required for drug bioactivity evaluation studies at the whole animal, cellular, and molecular levels. Examples include: Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), Bruker 600MHz Superconducting Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS), Thermo Fisher LTQ Orbitrap Combination High-Resolution Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS), Bruker QTOF LC-MS, Agilent LC-MS systems including Triple Quadrupole LC/MS (6460, 6490, 6495 Triple Quad LC/MS), Time-of-Flight LC/MS (6230 TOF LC/MS), Quadrupole Time-of-Flight LC/MS (6545Q-TOF LC/MS, 6550 iFunnel Q-TOF LC/MS), Agilent 7900 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), Agilent Cyation 5 Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader, small animal Micro-CT, Helios Mass Cytometry (CyTOF) system, patch-clamp systems, Malvern Isothermal Titration Calorimeter (ITC), Mosquito nano-volume liquid handling workstation, 10X Genomics single-cell sequencer, large-scale computer cluster for computer-aided drug design, FLIPR Tetra High-Throughput Real-Time Fluorescence Imaging Plate Reader system, Octet RED96 Bio-Layer Interferometry system, BD FACS Aria III cell sorter, IN Cell 6000 High-Content Analysis system, Leica TCS SP8 confocal laser scanning microscope system, high-resolution slide scanning microscope, DeltaVision live cell fluorescence imaging system, and more.
Currently, the State Key Laboratory has established 14 cutting-edge research platforms, primarily: Natural Compound Separation and Structure Identification Technology, Gene Barcoding Technology for Chinese Medicine Identification, Subcellular and Molecular Visualization Technology, Bioorganic Chemistry Technology, Glycomics / Glycoproteomics Analysis Research Technology, Lipidomics Research Technology, Proteomics Research Technology, Stem Cell Research Technology, Chinese Medicine Nano-formulation Technology, Microfluidic Chip Fabrication and Research, Single-Cell Research, Nanomaterial-Based Targeted Delivery Technology for Anti-Tumor Drugs, Drug Screening and Design & Medical Big Data, and Intracellular Pharmacokinetics Research of Chinese Medicine Components.
In recent years, the State Key Laboratory has actively engaged in exchanges and cooperation, establishing joint laboratories or research centers with 17 renowned teaching and research institutions domestically and internationally. Regarding popular science activities, the "Macao High School Student Research Internship Program," co-organized with Macao's Pui Ching Middle School, were officially launched in April 2025, aiming to provide cutting-edge scientific learning and research opportunities for the Macao’s secondary school students. The Laboratory is also committed to promoting the international standardization of Chinese medicine and expanding high-tech services. It has established the Macau Centre for International Standard of Chinese Medicine. The Laboratory has obtained Australian NATA/ISO 17025 accreditation, enabling it to provide testing services for Chinese medicine products and food that comply with international ISO standards.
The State Key Laboratory has gained several important achievements, including: new technologies and methods for Chinese medicine quality evaluation, research on the material basis of Chinese medicine efficacy, novel disease mechanisms and new targets of action, and the use of nanocarriers to enhance the delivery and targeting of active ingredients in Chinese medicine. These research findings and outputs have been published in famous academic journals such as Nature Machine Intelligence, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, Nature Communications, Biomarker Research, Journal of Controlled Release, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Bioactive Materials, Small, Medicinal Research Reviews, PNAS, Biomaterials, Environmental Science & Technology, Pharmacological Research, and Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids. Our researchers have also received numerous awards, including: the Gold Medal at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2025); the Chinese Government Friendship Award (2024), the First Prize for Technological Invention Award of the Macao SAR Science and Technology Award (2024), the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine - Qi-Huang Scholar (2024), the Silver Award at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area High-Value Patent Cultivation and Layout Competition (2024), 4 awards at the 10th National Forum on Basic Medical Innovation Research and Experimental Design for College Students (2024); the First Prize of the Medical Science and Technology Award from the Guangdong Medical Association (2023), the First Prize of the Natural Science Award from the Guangdong Precision Medicine Association (2023), the Third Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award (2023), the Third Prize for Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements by Women Scientists from the Biophysical Society of China (2023), the Second Prize of the Yunnan Provincial Health Technology Achievement Award (2023); and the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award (2013), among others.
