Portuguese Student In Macau: Chinese Medicine Research Opens New Opportunities

Sofia Costa, a PhD student from the University of Porto in Portugal, shared her experiences studying and living in Macau. As part of a joint laboratory between the University of Macau and the University of Porto, she is currently participating in a collaborative research project with the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) at the University of Macau (UM).

"They have been trying to establish this collaboration with ICMS (Institute of Chinese Medical Science) for a long time. I'm the first student in this collaboration project." Sofia said that because the expertise are quite different, everyone's very excited for the future collaboration opportunities.

This is Sofia's first encounter with Chinese medicine, and she finds it fascinating. "Chinese medicine is very interesting. Everyone is working hard to find the current limitations and find different approaches to overcome the problems. I believe there's a very promising future ahead for Chinese medicine." she added.

With a background in biology, Sofia's primary research focuses on cancer, particularly bone cancer. In Macau, she is contributing to a project developing a drug delivery system to improve existing cancer treatment options. "This research is going to be very important for my future. I'm learning so much. Some things in Chinese medicine are hard to translate and some concepts are very particular. But this is my first time learning about Chinese medicine in the real scenario and it's been very interesting so far."

Sofia's journey highlights Macau's role as a key hub for international research collaboration. Through partnerships with global universities and institutions, Macau is not only advancing the modernization and globalization of Chinese medicine but also providing a dynamic platform for researchers worldwide to thrive. Chen Xin, the Director of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences at the University of Macau, previously stated that since its establishment, the Institute has been dedicated to promoting the internationalization of Chinese medicine, particularly through Sino-Portuguese scientific research cooperation and exchange.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Sofia expressed her appreciation for life in Macau. "Macau is a beautiful and highly international city. I was very well received by both the local and Portuguese communities. The facilities are excellent and we have a lot of help. The overall environment is wonderful." she added. （By Zhao Anqi, Zhu Caiyun/China Youth Daily)