Outlook in 2011

Although modern medicine is established in Asia, traditional medicine also plays a big role in people's healthcare — and is gaining in popularity in other countries too.

Applying modern intellectual property standards to ancient medicines.

To investigate traditional Asian medicines properly, we need to rethink the way they are tested, say Liang Liu, Elaine Lai-Han Leung and Xiaoying Tian.

The editor of Nature China reports on his first visit to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to find out how this ancient practice is dispensed in the twenty-first century — and to see if anything can be done to relieve his back pain.

The practice of traditional medicine in Japan includes many modern techniques but faces numerous challenges — including political pressure from China.

Traditional plant-based remedies are not risk-free. Doctors and patients need to be informed about the possible side effects, says Masatomo Sakurai.

Systems science can provide guidance in capturing the complementary approaches to healthcare, says Jan van der Greef.

Can Western guidelines govern Eastern herbal traditions?

Many ingredients in traditional herbal medicines cannot be absorbed by the human gut. Could our microbial inhabitants do for us what we can't do ourselves?

The concepts of Asia's traditional medicines might sound alien to Western ears, but some of them are starting to evolve to fit scientific investigation.

With an ingredients list that includes rhino horn and tiger bone, traditional Asian medicine is on a collision course with wildlife preservation.

The repertoire of traditional Chinese medicine could offer rich pickings for modern drug developers, but researchers must first define and test herbal concoctions.

Unlocking the genetic secrets of multiple myeloma could reveal new ways to attack this killer disease.

Identifying the patients most likely to progress from a precancerous condition to multiple myeloma could help doctors catch the disease early and stop it taking hold.

Despite its rarity, multiple myeloma is an ideal testing ground for cancer biology, says William Matsui.

Drugs introduced to fight multiple myeloma in the past decade have revolutionized treatment and extended patients' lives. Are the improvements set to continue?

In the fight against myeloma, researchers are investigating its interactions with molecular neighbours in the bone marrow.

New technology to peer into the bones could help improve the treatment of multiple myeloma patients.