Overview

        The Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Neurology of Zhejiang Province is the only key laboratory dedicated to the basic and clinical research of acupuncture and moxibustion in Zhejiang, overlapping the Top-priority Discipline(Acupuncture and Tuina), First-level Top-priority Discipline Construction in Zhejiang(TCM), Advantageous and Characteristic Discipline of Key Universities in Zhejiang Province(TCM), and the National Key Discipline of TCM(Acupuncture).

Research Directions

        Guided by acupuncture theory and clinical experience, the Laboratory, through modern neurology research methods, conducts research on the mechanisms of acupuncture intervention in neurological diseases, which mainly covers three aspects:

(1) Laws and mechanisms of acupuncture treatment of chronic pain (pain-induced sensation, emotion, and cognition): Committed to the basic research of acupuncture analgesia, which is its specialty and advantage, the Laboratory explores the key mechanisms and core laws of acupuncture intervention on chronic pain with modern technologies and methods of neuroscience;

(2) Laws and mechanisms of acupuncture intervention on central nervous system diseases: The Laboratory explores the central neuroprotection, plasticity regulation and central nervous mechanisms of acupuncture treatment of stroke sequelae and spinal cord injuries to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of stroke sequelae and spinal cord injuries with acupuncture;

(3) Development of intelligent acupuncture treatment equipment: Targeted at clinical needs and guided by scientific theories, the Laboratory aims to develop new and intelligent clinical acupuncture instruments.

Research Staff

        The Laboratory has a young research team whose personnel under 45 accounts for 80%. More than 75% of the personnel have senior professional titles or doctorate degrees, and about 20% have intermediate professional titles. Besides, the team has one recipient of the State Council Special Allowance; one Qihuang Scholar(a title for leading TCM experts); one selected into the National Ten Thousand Talents Plan; one Advisor for Inheritance of National Senior TCM Experts’ Academic Experience; one Young and Middle-aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions awarded by the Ministry of Health; one selected into the Zhejiang Ten Thousand Talents Plan; one key training staff, one first-tier training staff, one second-tier training staff, and two third-tier training staffs of the Zhejiang New Century 151 Talent Project; one named as Zhejiang Provincial Distinguished TCM Doctor; one leading talent training staff and five innovative talent training staffs of the Zhejiang 325 High-level Talents of Health Profession Training Project; four Zhejiang Provincial Famous TCM Doctors; one distinguished professor of Zhejiang Qianjiang Scholars; three young and middle-aged discipline leaders in Zhejiang universities and four training staffs of Emerging Medical Talents in Zhejiang.

Projects and Cooperation

        As a scientific research platform characterized by acupuncture, the Laboratory has carried out extensive academic exchanges and scientific research cooperation with many TCM basic research institutions, such as the Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese medicine, Shaanxi University of Chinese medicine, and Anhui University of Chinese medicine. It has also sent visiting scholars to Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Texas, Indiana University, etc. The Laboratory has participated in 2 projects and 3 sub-projects of the National Basic Research Program(973 Program), 1 key research project for the modernization of TCM affiliated to the National Key R&D Program, and more than 40 General Program and Youth Scientist Fund projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC) as well as provincial and ministerial research projects. In the past three years, it has published more than 200 academic papers and obtained more than 30 patents, including 13 invention patents.

Equipment

        The Laboratory has specialized equipment for neurobiology research, such as in vivo photogenetic neuron fluorescence imaging system, multi-channel biological signal acquisition system, in vitro patch-clamp physiological recording and analysis system, and general equipment for molecular biology research, e.g., laser confocal microscopes and gel imagers. There are 25 sets of equipment with a value of more than 300 thousand RMB, and the total value of all the equipment exceeds 35 million RMB.

Fang Jianqiao

        Prof. Fang Jianqiao, a Doctor of Medicine and PhD supervisor, is Director of the Laboratory. He serves as Vice President of the China Association for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, President of the Zhejiang Association for Acupuncture and Moxibustion. He is the leader of the advantageous characteristic discipline (TCM) of key universities in Zhejiang, leader of national and provincial key disciplines of TCM (acupuncture and moxibustion), head of the national key clinical specialty (acupuncture and moxibustion) of the Ministry of Health, head of the national key specialty of traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture and moxibustion), head of the national characteristic specialty (acupuncture, moxibustion, and massage), leader of the Zhejiang Provincial Key Scientific and Technological Innovation Group (acupuncture and moxibustion medicine) and the innovation group of Zhejiang provincial universities (acupuncture and moxibustion key technology research). He has been selected into the Zhejiang New Century 151 Talent Project, and named as Qihuang Scholar(a title for leading TCM experts), Young and Middle-aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions awarded by Zhejiang Province and the Ministry of Health, Advisor for inheriting the academic experience of the sixth batch of senior TCM experts in China, and training staff of leading talents in Zhejiang Province. He has won the honor of National Outstanding Hospital President, National Outstanding Scientific and Technical Worker, Zhejiang Provincial Distinguished TCM Doctor, the awards for Zhejiang talents with overseas studies, Zhejiang Model of Teacher Ethics, and Zhejiang distinguished university teachers. He has conducted one project of the National Key R&D Program, one 973 Program project, six projects of NSFC, and more than 10 provincial and ministerial projects, such as the Major Scientific and Technological Research Projects of Zhejiang Province and Key Projects of the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province. Prof. Fang has also won more than 20 provincial and ministerial awards (including 6 first prizes), such as the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Award. He is the chief editor of a dozen textbooks, such as the national planned textbook, Techniques of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and has published more than 100 papers in SCI journals.