Results 'made in Vietnam'

In July 2005, a concussion was published on news networks about medicine, stem cells as well as major news agencies such as the Washington Times, CNBC Television .

A Singapore company has successfully researched stem cell development from a special part that few scientists have noticed before that umbilical cord stem.

A breakthrough for the stem cell industry. The surprise is that the person in charge of the project is a Vietnamese scientist: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Toan Thang.

After more than two years of embarking on stem cell research, there has not yet been a satisfactory result, a landmark coincident event to Dr. Thang: hearing the wife's friend's birth, Thang immediately asked for placenta and umbilical cord stalks to study. After only a short time, the results gave a breakthrough direction in stem cell industry: instead of using umbilical cord blood to get stem cells, Thang used umbilical cord lining membrane. This invention can revolutionize treatment.

Prof. Dr. Phan Toan Thang checked the sample of umbilical stem cells in the laboratory
experience at the National University of Singapore

In the past, to get stem cells, it was often taken from the marrow, bone and blood, then taken from the fetal umbilical cord or to destroy the fetus to get stem cells. These ways encounter many problems such as morality, the number of stem cells is not much. While the way from the umbilical cord lining membrane achieves a number of superior features. The first point is that all babies have umbilical cord but are often thrown away, the method is simple and not as complicated as the other parts. The removal of umbilical cord stem cells is not life-threatening as in any other way. In the umbilical cord lining, there are also two main cells, epithelial and mesothelioma, where it is difficult to have two types at the same time. Therefore umbilical cord lining stem cells can differentiate into more cell types such as marrow, cartilage, bone, skin .

Another advantage is that the number and volume of stem cells taken from the umbilical cord membrane is truly superior. On average, one stem of the umbilical cord is 55cm long, 1cm radius. If separating the lining and spreading it on a surface, the area is about 330cm2, equivalent to an A5 page. After three weeks, culture of epithelial and mesothelioma stem cells can reach 6 billion. This way does not violate medical ethics, does not harm both mother and child in the process of seizing the umbilical cord. This is very important, especially in the US and Western countries.

Umbilical cord connects the fetus to the mother

One of the first applications of stem cells taken from the umbilical cord lining membrane is to treat burns. Every year, around 27 million people in the world suffer burns, 7 million of them are hospitalized and more than 1 million people die from burns. The team's human experiments showed remarkable results. Only 3-7 days of wound will be on the skin and checked after three months, the wound is still developing normally without elimination.

Prof. Dr. Phan Toan Thang:

- From 1991-1995 as a doctor of treatment at the National Burn Institute.

- 1995 to Oxford University as a trainee.

- 1997 returned home, then to Singapore to work at Singapore National University Hospital.

- 2002 to the US to study at Stanford University.

- The first person in two consecutive years was awarded the Young Science Prize of the National Science Research Council of Singapore.

- International Science Award of the American Council for Plastic Surgery Research 2001.

- In 2003 was selected report at the leading scientific conference Gordon.

- Join the world's first group to study the interaction of epithelial and mesothelioma.

The prospect of stem cell treatment from the umbilical cord stem is very large. Dr. Thang said that when necessary, we can use preserved cord blood stem cells to treat a variety of diseases such as burns, skin lesions, broken bones, muscle atrophy, damage to cartilage and tendons, spinal cord, urine sugar, myocardial infarction, stroke, Parkinson's . and can even be used for beauty and beauty care. It is through the separation of epithelial and mesothelioma that the ability to cultivate many different parts. Mesothelioma can feed tendons, ligaments. Or for people with muscular atrophy, injecting stem cells from mesothelioma will help to recover. Tissue culture using stem cells can also heal wounds and burns with a fast recovery rate and very cheap price compared to skin culture. Not stopping there, stem cells from umbilical cord can cultivate retinal cell walls and cultivate nanoparticles to create hair and hair. Epithelium also does many things like culturing the skin surface, bladder, esophagus, liver, and cornea. Up to now, Dr. Thang's laboratory has successfully cultured tissue, muscle and skin cells.

Other applications are being studied in a variety of ways: production of insulin stem cells, neuronal types, replacement of spinal cord cells, bone and spine regeneration, liver treatment and regeneration. hepatocellular, heart regeneration.

TS Thang's plan to promote commercialization of cord stem cells is being strongly deployed. The inventions of scar treatment, nano skin, and umbilical cord have all been copyrighted in the US since August 2004. He also established two companies, CellResearch Company, to commercialize products and Cordlab Company as a bank to store umbilical cord stem cells. His company is negotiating with umbilical cord banks around the world to get a large amount of cord for the future.

In March 2006, when Dr. Thang returned to Vietnam to attend an immune conference, he met Prof. Pham Manh Hung, deputy head of the Central Department of Science and Education and also an old teacher at the National Burn Institute.After being shared by Dr. Thang about his research results and intending to bring it to Vietnam, GS Hung joined him in meeting with Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Van Phong and a proposal for research. Use of umbilical cord lining stem cells is drafted.

The project aims to build a bank of umbilical cord stalks for Vietnam.Professor Hung stated that the first storage of stem cells is good support for patients.When needed, it is easy to use because taking someone else's can be eliminated.Storage of membrane stem cell stem cells can also be sold to foreigners . Vietnam has more than 40 million women, of which more than 10 million are of childbearing age (20-45 years), each year is expected to have 2 million women give birth so banks have huge input data.Each family has only two children, so it is necessary to keep the source of healing cells.

Dr. Thang said that the process of storing and preserving frozen umbilical cord is easy and cheap.In the condition of Vietnam, the cost of keeping umbilical cord for 20 years is only about 1,500-2,000 USD.

Under the scheme, in the early stages (2-3 years) the bank will receive anonymous cord stalks and study some basic techniques in the stem cell industry, including the study of treating some common diseases. like burns and ulcers . By the end of 2007 using cord blood cells to treat malignant blood diseases, rare blood.

Regarding finance, the project is expected to invest 14 billion dong in three years.Phase 1 (from now to the end of 2007) invested 8.6 billion VND, of which Mekophar contributed 4.5 billion, while the State supported 4.1 billion.Then invest another 5.4 billion in the next two years.

Phase 2 will take place in commercial banking and research.Each family is aware that storing cord stalks will help the whole family because when a sick family member has an 'ingredient' available to treat the disease.In this case, you have to pay for cold storage within 20-30 years.Those who need to buy the bank will resell.

The implementation of this project requires a prerequisite that Dr. Thang handed over the copyright of his research results and this condition was met.The second condition is that there is a strong deployment apparatus and the project team has gathered most of the strong units in Vietnam.Professor Hung stated very excitedly that the working team has many advantages.It is the combination of models of companies and scientists, the State and the private sector that make the project flexible and quick to be commercialized, thereby promoting deep research.