Dr. Truong Thanh Tung - a man with great ambitions

Wish Vietnamese medicine invented and used by Vietnamese people

Dr. Truong Thanh Tung (born in 1989), from Thanh Giang commune (Thanh Mien), is currently the Head of the New Drug Research Group, Phenikaa Advanced Research Institute, lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Phenikaa University (Hanoi).

Currently, the situation of antibiotic resistance of bacteria is alarming in Vietnam as well as in the world. Finding new drugs that can replace antibiotics or fight against antibiotic resistance is extremely necessary. Dr. Tung is always concerned about finding new techniques and new advances in developing drugs that can replace antibiotics. After diligently researching and in 2023, his team achieved initial results when finding a number of new derivatives, with the potential to be further researched into substances that can replace antibiotics. This result has been recorded through 5 new publications in the industry's top scientific journals.

The group’s initial research could open up new directions for the fight against bacterial resistance. This is an extremely heavy and urgent task that Mr. Tung hopes that many research groups will combine to get the best results in a short time.

Tung's research group also developed new cancer treatment drugs and achieved certain results. The group also developed new drug synthesis methods (continuous flow, solid phase, etc.) that can be applied in the production of large quantities of pharmaceutical ingredients, with the goal of reducing the cost of specialty drugs. In particular, new compounds and high molecular substances developed by the group demonstrate antibacterial and antifungal potential. The group has developed a number of topical pharmaceutical creams to help treat fungal and bacterial diseases, or difficult-to-heal wounds, burns, etc. This is an important first step in the development of future injectable and oral drugs.

According to Dr. Tung, the most important thing for a scientist, especially in the field of medicine and pharmacy, is to develop pharmaceutical products to serve the health care of the whole population. His research team has been making every effort towards that goal. Currently, Phenikaa Group, the parent company of Phenikaa University, is planning to help realize the group's plans, which is to build a pharmaceutical factory. The group is conducting initial research to be able to apply for the production of cheaper drugs, master special drugs, develop new Vietnamese drugs, and bring treatment opportunities to more patients.

Dr. Tung hopes that Vietnam can master the drug production process, from mass drugs to rare drugs. Further, there can be drugs invented by Vietnamese people, used for Vietnam and supplied to the world.

Realizing that dream is not easy. “I am someone who always dares to do, understands what I do and knows who is on the same path as me to connect, from there I can go in the right direction and succeed. It is necessary to know how to combine with colleagues, other scientists, together solve more difficult and complex scientific problems”, with this mindset, I believe that Dr. Tung and his companions will gradually achieve the expected results.

Inspiration for many young people

2023 is also a busy year when Mr. Tung is busy with many large and small events of the country and some localities, contributing to inspiring many young people.

He was honored to be awarded the title "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face 2022" by the Central Youth Union, the badge "Advanced Youth Following Uncle Ho's Teachings Nationwide 2023", one of 75 typical examples awarded the title "Typical Advanced Model Nationwide" and received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister.

In September 2023, Dr. Tung was honored to be one of 20 outstanding young people nationwide attending the "9th Global Young Parliamentarians' Conference" held in Hanoi. This is an important event of the Party, State and National Assembly. As a great honor, representing the image and intelligence of young Vietnamese people before international parliamentarian friends, Dr. Tung has strived to bring practical contributions to the conference, with the aim of bringing knowledge and further science and technology of Vietnam to mark on the world "map".

Dr. Truong Thanh Tung shared: “Having these achievements will motivate me to contribute more to the country’s science and technology. I hope that my story can somehow inspire many young people at home and abroad to dedicate themselves and be more confident to return to build their homeland and country.”

Dr. Truong Thanh Tung has 1 international patent, 30 scientific works in the field of medical technology published in international journals, and has participated in reviewing 20 top journals of the Nature, Springer Nature, and Elesevier publishing systems. He is a Promising Young Vietnamese Face in 2021, won the Golden Globe for Science and Technology in 2021, and is a typical young teacher of Hanoi Capital in 2022. In 2022, he was the first young scientist in Vietnam to be elected as an official member of the prestigious Sigma Xi International Research Science Association. This is the oldest and most prestigious scientific association in the world, headquartered in the US, operating since 1886. He is one of 28 outstanding young scientists in the world and a typical face in the field of scientific research and innovation.