After the Easter and Qingming Festivals, Dr Qihe Xu conducted a series of academic exchanges at Jiangsu Province Hospital and the First Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM), and China Pharmaceutical University.
On 7th April, Dr Xu visited Professor Xinli Li and his postdoctoral colleagues, Dr Iokfai Cheang and Dr Xu Zhu, in the Department of Cardiology at Jiangsu Province Hospital and the First Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing Medical University. They discussed the possibility of collaborating on international clinical trials of Chinese herbal medicine. Professor Li is the principal investigator of two major clinical trials on Qili Qiangxin for the treatment of heart failure (Nat Med 2024; JACC2013):
- Cheang I, et al. The traditional Chinese medicine Qiliqiangxin in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Nat Med 2024;30:2295–302.
- Li X, et al. A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study of the effects of Qili Qiangxin capsules in patients with chronic heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol2013;62:1065–72.
On 8th April, Dr Xu spent a full day at NJUCM, where he discussed bilateral collaborations with Professor Haibo Cheng, President of NJUCM; Professor Xiaowei Guan and Professor Xiaolin Yuan, Dean and Deputy Dean of the College of International Education; and Professor Lifeng Zhu, Dean of the Biomedical College. After the meetings, Dr Xu visited the beautiful campus and museums of the NJUCM, kindly escorted by Ms Shu Zhang, Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, NJUCM.
On 9th–10th April, Dr Xu held bilateral discussions with Professor Hequan Yao, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Vice President of CPU; Professor Yang Li, Acting Dean of the College of International Education and Director of International Cooperation; Professor Ping Li, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy; Professors Hua Yang, Chaofeng Zhang and Junping Kou, Director, Deputy Director and Past Director of the School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy; Professor Wenying Yu, School of Life Science and Technology; and Professor Jun Liao, School of Science, CPU.
At the School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, CPU, Dr Xu delivered an invited lecture entitled: Seeking Wisdom from TCM: What and How Can Modern Medicine Learn from Traditional Practices? （《问道岐黄：现代医药学向传统学什么？怎么学？》）
The finale of the CPU visit was a tour of the beautiful CPU Medicinal Botanical Gardens, kindly escorted by Professor Yang Li and Professor Jun Liao.
We would like to cordially thank Mr Ziyao Shi and Mr Pengyu Jiang from the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, CPU, for their incredibly warm and meticulous support. Without them, this series of Nanjing visits would not have been so enjoyable and fruitful.
Appendix：Report on the China Pharmaceutical University Website