This Topical Collection focuses on four frontier areas in modern traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research: emerging methodological approaches, including graph neural networks, multi-omics technologies, and novel therapeutic efficacy evaluation systems; large-animal models for acupuncture research; TCM-based therapies for metabolic diseases; and pharmacological analyses of herbal mechanisms. The collection aims to build a translational bridge between traditional clinical experience and modern scientific evidence.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Novel methodologies in TCM research, including standardization strategies, multi-omics approaches, and high-throughput screening
• Acupuncture point validation, neuroanatomical tracing, and physiological monitoring using large-animal models such as swine and canine models
• Clinical and experimental studies investigating herbal formulations or acupuncture therapies for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia
• Mechanistic studies employing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vitro or in vivo signaling pathway analyses

This topical collection welcomes original research articles, reviews, rapid reports, clinical trials, and methodological papers. Its goal is to improve the reproducibility and mechanistic understanding of TCM research, thereby facilitating its recognition and integration into mainstream biomedicine.