Storing umbilical cord blood at the stem cell bank of the Hanoi-based National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NTHBT). (Photo: VietnamPlus)
Hanoi, (VNA) – Experts from Belgium and the US engaged in discussion with the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NTHBT) on cooperation in training and technology transfer related to stem cell therapy in the framework of the National Conference on Hematology-Blood Transfusion on November 24-25.
They also discussed a project on transferring technology in CAR-T cell culture.
The experts’ attendance at the conference was part of a cooperative project on training and technology transfer on cell therapy implemented by the University of Liège, Belgium and the National Institute of Hematology-Blood Transfusion.
The project aims to support training and technology transfer on cell therapy at the University of Liège in Belgium for three years (2022-2024). The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the training of medical staff in cell therapy techniques, specifically training medical staff on developing sources and the application of cell therapy in practice in Vietnam for malignancies and chronic blood diseases.
In addition, experts will provide on-site training on mesenchymal stem cells, JAICE stem cell quality standards, and clinical stem cell transplants. It is expected that the project will train human resources and serve as a basis for implementing cell therapy in Vietnam in the coming years.
The discussion also mentioned the contents for expert exchanges and scholarships for professional training in Belgium in 2023.
Also within the framework of the conference, Dr. Richard Childs, Clinical Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health, held an online working session with the NIHBT on the preparation for the CAR-T cell culture technology transfer project.
Addressing the conference, Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue, director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Department under the Health Ministry, highlighted that Vietnamese doctors have successfully rolled out stem cell transplants and transferred autologous stem cell transplant techniques to many hospitals in provinces and cities across the country, and applied many modern treatment methods.
“Now we have state-of-the-art equipment on a par with countries in the region and the world, and have successfully carried out an epidemiological survey on thalassemia and a genetic screening programme towards gradually reducing the number of children born with the hemolytic disease in some localities,” Khue said.
The sector also achieved positive results in the study of gene mutations in blood cancers, thalassemia, and Hemophilia, contributing to improving the quality of treatment and pre-diagnosis of hereditary blood.
As the leading medical institution in the country in the field of blood transfusion, the NTHBT has played an active role in developing the sources of blood donors, distributing blood for transfusion and ensuring safety in transfusion, Khue said, adding that the country did not face a shortage of blood donation even during the time of wide-scale distancing due to COVID-19.
Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue addresses the conference (Photo: VietnamPlus)
The National Conference on Hematology-Blood Transfusion 2022, the country’s largest scientific conference of haematology-blood transfusion, attracted the participation of nearly 1,500 delegates who are international experts from the United States, Belgium, Singapore and domestic scientists.
At the forum, experts and scientists focused discussion on topics such as Clinical Hematology, Subclinical, Blood Transfusion, Stem Cells, Coagulation, Thalassemia, and Immunology - Genetics - Molecular Biology. They also shared achievements and advances in the field of stem cell transplants, mesenchymal stem cells - clinical applications and cell therapy.
In the coming time, the haematology-blood transfusion sector will focus on the development of the latest techniques such as Hematopoietic stem cell transplants, mesenchymal stem cell transplants, cell treatment (such as CAR-T cell therapy), and targeted therapy with new drugs. These therapies will help to predict and treat patients much more accurately than before, helping patients to better improve their quality of life and recover from illness in some cases.
In the framework of the conference, the Vietnam Association of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and the Vietnam Thalassemia Association held their congresses for the 2022-2027 term. Some exhibitions of machinery, equipment, chemicals, medicines and biological products as well as workshops were also organized./.
