中医药的系统生物学研究--短暂的时尚还是长久的策略

Systemic Biologic Study on Traditional Chinese Medicine——A Short-lived Fad or A Long-term Policy?

中医药现代化研究在一些关键科学问题上迄今难以形成突破,一个主要原因是对中医这一科学体系本身的特点——如疾病的整体性、动态性和各部分内在的相关性等方面缺乏应用性把握,在研究方式上基本沿袭了现代医学"分割式"还原分析的模式。系统生物学所采用的系统性研究策略和把握整体功能的目标为中医药研究提供了前所未有的重要启示。从整体观出发,对人体和疾病开展具有系统性策略的还原分析性研究将是中医从传统医学走向未来医学的一个至关重要的策略。中医药现代化不一定要采取近几个世纪现代科学发展所应用的"分割式"还原分析模式,而要在掌握系统信息的基础上分层次挖掘局部信息,走一条"自上而下"式的系统研究途径,实现从传统医学直接向未来医学的跨越。

The research of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has failed to achieve major breakthrough, especially on some important and fundamental medical problems and concepts. One of the reasons for such failure is that the methodology used in the TCM research follows basically the path of partitioned reductive analysis, which is unable to capture practically the characteristics of TCM scientific system, such as the holistic and dynamic nature of diseases, and the interaction among various biological components. The systemic thinking and strategy of the systematic biology and its aim at grasping integral function have provided unprecedented enlightenment for the modern TCM research. To conduct a systemic strategic reductive analysis on human body and diseases under the guidance of holistic view will be an utmost important way for developing TCM towards the future of heahhcare. The moderniza- tion of TCM does not have to follow the partitioned reductive approach, which has been practiced in the development of modern science in recent centuries. Instead, it should proceed in a ＂top down＂ way of systemic research by firstly investigating and understanding the systemic information, followed by a layered excavation on local information, so as to stride over the gap between the traditional medicine and the future medicine.