Dr. Ho Thanh Tam in the lab in Korea
Dr. Ho Thanh Tam is a DTU lecturer and has been researching the biomass culture of Ngoc Linh Ginseng roots to extract medicinal substances such as Saponins, which are used to combat cancer. Dr. Ho Thanh Tam is amongst the top ten young researchers in Vietnam and in 2020 received a Golden Globe award from the Central Committee of the HCMC Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Science & Technology, in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments.
Dr. Ho Thanh Tam was born in the Binh Sa commune in Thang Binh district of Quang Nam province, studied Biotechnology at Dalat University and continued with graduate studies there. Meanwhile, he worked as a gardener to pay for his education and broaden his practical knowledge. His ambition was to use medicinal plants as a source for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and functional foods industries.
During his post-graduate studies, Dr. Ho Thanh Tam was mentored by Professor Duong Tan Nhut and researched the asexual preservation and reproduction of Vietnamese Ginseng. In 2014, he won a full scholarship to study for a doctoral degree at Chungbuk National University in South Korea.
Since 2012, Dr. Ho Thanh Tam has published 34 papers in Vietnamese and international science journals, co-authoring a monograph chapter published by SPi Technologies of India in 2020. On graduation, he worked in Korea for two years and, in 2020, returned to work at the DTU Institute for Global Health Initiatives.
His aim is to preserve and cultivate rare and valuable medicinal plants for future application. He said: “I grew up in rural area and love plants, so I want to extend research into the refinement of pharmaceutical Ngoc Linh ginseng products and contribute to the development of technological agriculture in Vietnam.”
Dr. Ho Thanh Tam stated that it took only 4 to 8 weeks to obtain valuable compounds from 5-year-old plants. Ngoc Linh Ginseng Saponins have a direct effect on cancer cells and Dr.Tam's goal is to proceed from culturing biomass in the laboratory to industrial scale production over the next 10 years. During that time, technology transfer will enable corporate investment in facilities specializing in biomass production, for economic manufacturing of the ingredients for use in valuable medicines, cosmetics and functional foodstuffs.
Dr. Ho Thanh Tam added: “Currently, the application of tissue culture techniques in Vietnamese Ginseng cultivation is common. The plant species, however, is endemic, difficult to grow and limited geographically to small areas of Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Lam Dong. In future, if the plant is not cultivated differently, it could slowly disappear. The selection of strong growth cells is the most important and the decisive factor in generating a highly active biomass.”
(Media Center)