Stem-cell research at a HCM City University of Natural Sciences laboratory

VietNamNet Bridge – Next year, Vietnamese parents will be able to deposit the umbilical cord of their child to a stem cell bank where scientists can use it to create stem cells that can cure many potential ailments.

Four stem cell banks are being established in Vietnam, owned by Mekophar Joint Stock Company, Ngoc Tam JS Company, Military Hospital 103, and HCM City Intravenous Infusion and Hematology Hospital.

“I’m lucky to meet the pioneers in this field. One of them is Dr. Phan Toan Thang, a Vietnamese Singaporean, the first who discovered the membrane of a umbilical cord can be divided out into stem cells. We signed a know-how contract with Dr. Thang and opened this stem cell bank,” said Dang Thi Kim Lan, Deputy General Director of Mekophar.

Lan added that in the past, umbilical cords were simply medical waste but are now valuable in terms of both health and economics.

Stem cells extracted from umbilical cords can help cure many dangerous diseases, not only for the donor child, but also for relatives who have the same biological index.

Lan said this investment is adventurous and dangerous for Mekophar, but regardless of financial success, they still win in spirit because the world may know that Vietnam is progressing in stem cell research.

Mekophar invested VND10 billion (US$625,000) in purchasing stem cell equipment.

Ngoc Tam company chose a different way to develop its stem cell bank. Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, former Director of the HCM City-based Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital and the founder of Ngoc Tam, joined hands with Malaysia’s Cryo Cord for this project.

Phuong said that her stem cell bank will not only offer umbilical cord maintenance services for families but also keep donated cords for charity.

The maintenance fee of umbilical cords is high, around $4,000 in the US and $2,000 in Asia for 15-20 years. Phuong said her stem cell bank may apply fees based on the Malay system, a $1,000 initial maintenance fee and an additional $100 each year. She said this is the lowest in the world as of now.

The senior doctor stressed that the value of stem cell labs will be proven by all levels of their business and research activities.

While no one argues that stem cell banks in Vietnam are a bad thing, scientists are concerned that operations will be limited since Vietnam doesn’t have clear and sufficient legal regulations governing and managing stem cell research.

According to Phuong, in other countries stem cell banks must obey strict rules, for example, not serving purposes that go counter to human well-being and not working on the human embryo (which is considered a human). But in Vietnam, there are no such rules.

However, Ho Manh Tuong, Secretary General of the Productive Endocrine and Infertility Association, said that it is too early to discuss stem cell regulations because current stem cell banks will simply store umbilical cords for future use. It is a very long and difficult road from research and development to the actual application of stem cells.

According to lecturer Phan Kim Ngoc from the HCM City University of Natural Sciences, the world’s first stem cell bank was officially inaugurated in 2004 in Britain. In early 2006, Singapore opened the second. To prepare for their bank’s inauguration, Mekophar sent staffers to Singapore, one to get a doctorate in immunisation and two for bachelors degrees in microorganisms; Ngoc Tam sent five employees to Malaysia for training.

Vinh Giang

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