Vietnamese doctors turned umbilical cord into a source of 6 billion stem cells

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Toan Thang is recognized by the world as the father of the method of stem cell transplantation from umbilical cord to heal burns, diabetes and many other diseases.

Dr. Phan Toan Thang has been honored by Singapore's The Straits Times as the father of the study of umbilical cord stem cells and became the co-founder of Cellresearch Corp biotech company worth 700 million. USD in Singapore.

Dr. Thang graduated from Military Medical Academy in 1991 and started his career at the Vietnam National Burn Institute."At that time, I had no time and money to do nonsense. So, I only focused on working and studying hard, learning Russian and English , " Dr. Thang said. In 1995, the doctor received a scholarship from Oxford University, England. This opportunity has helped him become a successful scientist in Singapore.

During his time at Oxford University, he met a Singaporean, who became a bridge for him to meet Professor Lee Seng Teik - head of plastic surgery operations at the Singapore Hospital Department of Burns. Professor Lee asked the doctor to win a job in his team with the mission to heal wounds and create new skin cells in 1997. "We had to take skin cells from the non-burn area of patients then multiply them in the lab, then take them back to the patient.This whole process is very expensive because sometimes the cells need a lot of time to multiply. This is with some patients, " he said.

About a year later, Dr. Thang met Dr. Ivor Lim and Gavin Tan, co-founders of Cellresearch Corp with him later. Together they studied the process of scar formation. This research gave him a prize in 2001 and 2002, which helped identify a function of the skin surface that helps scars form.

Dr. Phan Toan Thang.(Photo: LAU FOOK KONG).

In 2002, around the same time Cellresearch Corp was founded, Dr Thang moved to the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Renewable Medicine, Stanford University, USA. In the two years of research here, he found a way to separate stem cells from the placenta to treat liver damage. In 2004, Dr. Thang returned to Singapore, deciding to continue studying the placenta and umbilical cord. At that time, the world's medical system came up with the use of cord blood stem cells, helping patients treat diseases such as leukemia and many other types of cancers and blood disorders.

Dr. Thang's work received support from Gavin Tan, Cellresearch Corp.'s chief executive. Mr. Tan then brought to Dr. Thang two experimental jars. In it, a placenta containing one main cord of his wife after birth. Dr. Thang worked with the placenta before but failed because he found the placenta bloody and broken."I looked at the next vase, which contained a very clean umbilical cord, was free of blood, white, floated in the preservation environment."

He worked hard and had many problems in perfecting the environment to preserve umbilical cord. Finally, a suitable environment was created under the combination of sugars and proteins. This proprietary formula keeps the cord tissue alive and disinfects at the standard level."At that time, I lived in the lab. I turned off the phone and my wife was crazy about it," said Dr. Thang.

Creating stem cells from the umbilical cord is a new way of bringing Dr. Thang's name to new heights. Cells from the umbilical cord membrane may provide an unlimited amount of stem cells. From there they can form skin, bones and even other organs in the body, such as the cornea, which are highly applicable in healing burns and other diseases. "At that time no one cared about the skin. They focused on the problems of cancer and heart. We worked quietly and successfully," Dr Thang said.

Currently, Dr. Thang is Associate Professor of Medical School of Yong Loo Lin, National University of Singapore and co-owner of Cellresearch Corp. He turned the umbilical cord, once considered a medical waste, into a potential supply of 6 billion stem cells. Since then, cells can become skin, bones, corneas and many other parts of the body.

For more than 10 years of operation, Cellresearch Corp has owned 39 global patents. They are patents for extracting stem cells from umbilical cord membranes, nourishing and preserving them in stem cell banks, and many other therapeutic applications.

Application of stem cells to treat wounds is carried out under the approval of the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Cells produced in Denver City and human clinical trials are expected to take place early next year."Non-healing wounds are a major burden for health. They are associated with diabetes, stroke, heart disease and aging," Dr. Thang said. This new technology is of importance, as it can help skin transplant patients at a more affordable price.

Commenting on this study, Dr. Por Yong Chen from College of Surgeons, Singapore said that FDA approval will make Singapore confirm its position."Wound healing is a big market, especially for diabetics. This is an important breakthrough that will try to achieve the same thing," Dr. Chen said.

Having remarkable achievements in scientific research, Dr. Thang is quite modest. He said that part of his success came from opportunities and luck."There have been many challenges and not easy, but fortunately, we finally succeeded," said Dr. Thang.