The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has added three new Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) to its centers program.

These centers will explore the biological effects of a number of plant-derived compounds and preparations found in CAM products, such as dietary supplements, on pancreatic diseases, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease. NCCAM, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the lead federal agency for research on complementary and alternative medicine.

The new centers include the UCLA Center of Excellence in Pancreatic Diseases, which will study plant-derived compounds found in a variety of dietary and

herbal supplements and traditional herbal medicines; Center for CAM Research on Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases, which will focus on the effects of plant and herbal products on preventing or arresting inflammation in diseases caused by immune system breakdown; and Protective Roles of Grape-Derived Polyphenols in Alzheimer’s Disease, which will conduct preclinical studies to identify natural compounds extracted from grapes, known as polyphenols that might have a protective role in Alzheimer’s disease.

These center grants, which provide five years of support, bring the total number of Centers of Excellence for Research on CAM to 11.

Source: The National Institutes of Health, www.nih.gov