NCCAM makes the first two awards to create centres of excellence in CAM research

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has made the first two awards in its new programme to establish Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM. The purpose of these new centres is to bring the highest level of scientific rigor to research on CAM. The first two 5-year grants in this programme were awarded to:

• Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA

This centre will study how acupuncture affects human brain activity through the use of neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as physiological and gene microarray studies. The total award is US$5.9 million.

• Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

This centre will study the mechanisms of antioxidants, such as alpha lipoic acid, and explore their potential roles and implications for the prevention and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and ageing in general. The total award is US$5.8 million.

http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2003/102903.htm, 29 October, 2003