Organ transplants, tuberculosis screening and maternal health are among the fields where research honoured with the Ho Chi Minh Prize has moved from laboratories into routine medical practice. The Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam reported the developments.
The ministry’s Science and Technology Communication Centre highlighted three prize-winning areas of medical research. Each produced a different result. One laid the foundation for an entire specialty, another connected advanced diagnosis with disease management in communities, and a third focused on areas with limited access to health care. The centre said the research proved its value after it was applied, transferred to other hospitals and brought closer to patients.
Building a transplant service
The transplant research, honoured in 2005, was carried out by Military Hospital 103 and the Military Medical Academy. Their early successes opened the way for organ transplantation in Vietnam.
On June 4, 1992, doctors at the hospital performed the country’s first successful kidney transplant with help from foreign specialists. In 2004, the hospital carried out Vietnam’s first liver transplant.
A transplant programme requires more than surgery. It also needs careful patient selection and assessment, anaesthesia, intensive care and long-term follow-up. Bringing these areas together allowed the hospital to organise complex treatment.
The techniques were later transferred to many military and civilian hospitals, making one centre’s expertise available across the health system.
In December 2006, the Ministry of Health issued procedures for living-donor kidney and liver transplants. One of the research co-authors had drafted them, formalising years of accumulated experience.
From the clinic to the community
The respiratory disease research led by Associate Professor Nguyen Viet Nhung and 22 co-authors received the prize in the sixth award round, presented in November 2022. The work covered a wide range of lung diseases, including tuberculosis.
One result was scientific evidence supporting active searches for tuberculosis cases in communities. It formed the basis for a strategy that screens people with chest X-rays and confirms infection with Xpert molecular tests.
The researchers also helped develop treatment regimens, improve the diagnosis of lung lesions and establish a network for managing chronic respiratory diseases. They designed devices for lung biopsies and CT-guided procedures. The devices received utility solution patents and are now used in hospitals.
The work covers every stage of respiratory disease care. Early detection allows patients to be assessed and treated sooner, diagnostic tools help identify lung damage, and community-based follow-up supports continued treatment. The techniques were prepared for hospitals and community health networks, so they are used beyond a single institution.
Care that fits local resources
The third body of work, also honoured in the sixth award round, was led by Professor Cao Ngoc Thanh and six co-authors. It focused on improving reproductive health care for women in areas with limited resources.
The research covered screening and prevention of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, community-based care for women and infertility treatment. The team also trained health workers and transferred techniques to lower-level facilities.
For prenatal care, the researchers built a model to predict pre-eclampsia early in pregnancy and tested preventive measures suited to Vietnamese conditions. Pre-eclampsia is a potentially dangerous complication marked by high blood pressure.
The findings informed screening and prevention guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in April 2021.
In communities, the team developed a cervical cancer screening approach for district and commune clinics and improved care for women from ethnic minority groups.
The centre said the project matched medical standards with what local health systems can deliver. Research supported by training and technology transfer can help people receive care closer to where they live.
The three bodies of work show how medical research can be applied at different levels, from complex lifesaving surgery to disease management and care adapted to local conditions. Their results continue through the procedures they helped establish, the specialists they trained and the health networks that use them.
Sources: Vietnam News, "Prize-winning medical research moves from lab to patients" (https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1801948/prize-winning-medical-research-moves-from-lab-to-patients.html).
Sources: Viet Nam News
