Associate Professor Nguyen Mong Hung and his team from the Department of Biology, University of Natural Sciences (Hanoi) have successfully isolated and maintained mouse embryonic stem cells for an extended period, transforming them into blood stem cells.
Dr. Hung stated that previously there were some research groups in Vietnam that claimed to have isolated stem cells from mouse embryos, but they did not provide sufficient evidence. His research is clearly validated based on the morphology of the stem cells, markers, and effectiveness (as they managed to save irradiated mice, allowing them to live longer).
Dr. Hung’s research team isolated stem cells from mouse embryos and then injected them into the veins of mice that had been exposed to high doses of radiation. Thirty experimental mice were irradiated with doses of 800 to 900 rads — a dose that is lethal to 100% of the subjects within a week, as radiation destroys all red blood cells and their progenitor cells. However, after the stem cell injections, many of these mice survived for over a month. Tests indicated that the spleens of these animals showed new hematopoietic niches, proving that the stem cells had taken effect — transforming into blood progenitor cells to produce new red blood cells for the mice.
Currently, as Vietnam lacks a legal framework for obtaining stem cells from human embryos, the research team is focusing on animal studies, such as in chickens and mice. Since mice are mammals closely related to humans, this success is quite significant and will open up new research avenues for human embryonic stem cells in the country. Dr. Hung mentioned that his team plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to implement this project for medical purposes.
Previously, Dr. Hung’s team also succeeded in creating 26 Tiềm chickens containing Lương Phượng chicken cells through embryonic stem cell technology.
