6 Vietnamese female scientists honored by UNESCO

(Baonghean.vn) - Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang, Dr. Nguyen Thi Mua, Associate Prof. Dr. Do Thi Ha, Dr. Do Thi Phuc, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hiep are the people who bring fame to Vietnamese women in the international arena.

Scientist with nanotechnology cancer treatment research

On March 18, 2015, young Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong - lecturer of biomedical engineering at the International University (Ho Chi Minh City National University) - along with 14 outstanding female scientists in the world were honored at the award ceremony for the development of women in science by the L'Oréal and UNESCO foundation (L'Oréal - UNESCO for Women in Science) at Sorbone University, Paris (France).

Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong. Photo: Internet

Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong is the first female scientist in Vietnam to receive this award.

Dr. Phuong participated in the award with her research on fucoidan-containing micelles in the treatment and support of cancer tissue observation in Vietnam. This work was highly appreciated by the scientific council based on the modernity and high scientific nature of the topic, the research direction focuses on truly effective cancer treatment products, while minimizing the side effects of these drugs.

Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong's research could help make cancer treatment cheaper, more effective, and with fewer side effects by exploiting nanotechnology to develop a new treatment method using fucoidan for the dual purpose of being a drug carrier and a treatment component itself.

When fucoidan is combined with water-resistant cancer drugs, nano-particles will form themselves thanks to the water-loving properties of fucoidan. The nanoparticles will support the observation of cancer cells during the treatment process.

Scientists with high-yield rice varieties

With more than 25 years of scientific research, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang, Head of Biotechnology Department, An Giang University and Cuu Long University, has created more than 73 rice varieties, of which 31 have been recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and put into production in the Mekong Delta provinces, 106 rice varieties are considered promising and are in the process of national testing.

Professor Nguyen Thi Lang is instructing students. Photo: Internet

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang has more than 110 national and international scientific articles, published 21 specialized scientific books, chaired 93 topics, including 29 international topics and 6 state-level topics. More than 43 research projects of the professor have brought solutions and practical applications for production and commercialization of research results. From 2011 to 2015, 334 scientific works were published with 59 international scientific conferences conducted.

In the 2016 - 2020 plan, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang is continuing to complete topics related to research on selecting export varieties for the Mekong Delta, conducting research on applying molecular markers to select drought-resistant varieties, drought-resistant varieties, combined drought-resistant varieties, combined flooding and salinity-resistant varieties, brown planthopper and disease-resistant varieties, and completing 5 new gene maps with 4 graduate students being supervised.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang and Dr. Nguyen Thi Mua are two female scientists honored at the 2016 L'Oreal - UNESCO National Science Award ceremony held in Hanoi on the morning of November 29, 2016.

Scientists with researchheat-resistant material prototyping

Dr. Nguyen Thi Mua, Deputy Head of the Department of Science and Technology Research and Inspection of Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Equipment, Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue Police - Ministry of Public Security, was selected by the Science Council for her research on manufacturing heat-resistant fabrics containing Neoprene (Ne) for use in Fire Prevention and Fighting. This is the premise for the research and production of firefighting clothing for the fire prevention and fighting police force nationwide.

Scientist Nguyen Thi Mua. Photo: Internet

Dr. Nguyen Thi Mua has published a total of 31 scientific works in international and domestic scientific journals. In addition, Dr. Mua has also published 2 monographs used in teaching at the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting.

The research results of Dr. Nguyen Thi Mua have been applied in the successful manufacture of heat-resistant materials containing Ne with parameters meeting Vietnamese and foreign standards such as heat resistance up to 554oC, mechanical strength >20kN/m and heat resistance time of 15 minutes.

Scientists with dreams of the project willsupport cancer treatment

Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thi Ha, Deputy Head of Department of Phytochemistry, Institute of Medicinal Materialsis known for its new discoveries of medicinal herbs originating from Vietnam – the rhizome of the plant seven leaves one flower. This medicinal herb has actually been used in folk medicine for quite a long time in an effort to inhibit cancer cells in humans.

However, there has been no official scientific research on the potential medicinal resources in this Northwestern mountainous region.

Scientist Do Thi Ha in the laboratory. Photo: Internet

New findings in the research of Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thi Ha will help identify the structure of the main compound in the rhizome of the medicinal source from the plant seven leaves one flower through modern spectroscopic methods.

This helps to build the structure of the main active ingredient and evaluate the biological effects on different types of cancer such as liver cancer, breast cancer, epithelial cancer, etc. This also helps to screen to find the main active ingredient for in-depth research on the mechanism to build a high extraction process of potential compounds, develop quantitative methods to develop into products to support cancer treatment in the future.

Study on the methylation phenomenon of microRNA164 in rice plants

Dr. Do Thi Phuc, Lecturer at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is known for her research on the phenomenon of methylation of microRNA164 in rice plants under saline conditions with the aim of enhancing salt tolerance in plants.

Scientist Do Thi Phuc

With rice being the staple food crop and playing an important role in Vietnam's economy, rice productivity and rice growing area are seriously affected by saline soil, and the level of impact has been, is and will be more severe due to the consequences of global climate change, so Dr. Do Thi Phuc's research will make an important contribution to selecting rice varieties with high salt tolerance to meet urgent needs in life.

The research of Dr. Do Thi Phuc will help bring a deeper understanding of the relationship between DNA methylation and miRNA in response to adverse environmental conditions through studying the effects of saline conditions on methylation and expression levels of the Osa-miRNA164 gene in different rice varieties, the ability to regulate the expression of the Osa-miRNA164 gene in response to saline conditions through methylation in the studied rice varieties.

New discovery of Titanium material in restorative dentistry

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hiep, Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering Department, International University - Ho Chi Minh City National University, is a young scientist who is assessed by the Scientific Council as having high capacity, good research ability, enthusiasm for scientific research and a lot of experience in designing biological materials.

Scientist Nguyen Thi Hiep

Currently, titanium (Ti) implants in the bone of the root are the best choice in restorative dentistry, however, the limitation that Titanium implants have not overcome is the ability to create a good interaction between gingival tissue and abutment and poor adhesion ability, which brings many risks in the process of tissue recovery and regeneration, besides the great risk of Titanium implant rejection after the implantation period. Therefore, surface modification of Titanium is a challenge for scientists today.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hiep's research focuses on electrochemical methods to adjust adhesion force, thickness and disintegration. From there, the influence of these three factors on the development and distribution of two types of cells: fibroblast and mesenchymal stem cells is investigated.

The research will help provide new insights into the effort to improve the surface of Titanium implants to overcome this biologically inert feature, to accelerate and optimize tissue integration to respond to masticatory forces in the early stages after implant placement./.

Pear Flower

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