Achievements

Biotechnology students from Duy Tan University (DTU) earned two awards for Outstanding Poster Presentations at the International Conference on Medicinal Plants & Natural Products (MPNP 2026).

Two teams of DTU student received awards at the conference. Photo courtesy of DTU

Keeping pace with real-world needs

The 2026 International Conference on Medicinal Plants & Natural Products, organized by Rencontres du Vietnam in collaboration with the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science & Education (ICISE), was held from March 26 - 28, 2026, in Quy Nhon Nam (Gia Lai). The event attracted more than 120 experts and researchers from 14 countries.

Ninety abstracts were submitted in various formats: keynote speeches, invited talks, oral presentations, and posters - demonstrating both academic depth and the rapid development of biodiversity research.

The DTU students quickly aligned their work with practice after recognizing the growing need for natural medicinal substances, which requires stable, high-quality, and sustainable biological resources. Based on this, the two DTU research teams at the conference presented practical studies that were highly praised by the experts and honored with awards for Outstanding Poster Presentations:

❖ “Optimization of in vitro culture conditions for adventitious root biomass production in Panax vietnamensis” by the students:

-    Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy,
-    Nguyen Tran Kim Long,
-    Van Thi Kieu Nga.

This project focused on optimizing in-vitro culture conditions to increase the biomass of adventitious roots of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis), a rare medicinal plant with high therapeutic value but slow growth and declining natural supply.

The DTU students Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Tran Kim Long, and Van Thi Kieu Nga

with their research on Vietnamese ginseng. Photo courtesy of DTU

The study is a continuation of the team’s previous work presented at The Global Symposium on Natural Products by the Asian Society of Natural Products (ASNP) held in Jecheon (South Korea) from September 22 to 24, 2025.
Following important feedback from the scientists at that conference, the team further optimized multiple factors simultaneously: culture media, plant growth regulator concentrations, sugar levels, and culture density, to achieve maximum growth rates and biomass accumulation.

By applying plant tissue culture techniques, and particularly the induction and cultivation of adventitious roots in a shake flask, the research demonstrates strong potential for large-scale root biomass production for extraction of medicinal compounds and for conservation of the valuable genetic resources of Vietnamese ginseng.

Strong potential for production

❖ “Establishment of an efficient in vitro adventitious root culture system for biomass production of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.” by the students:

-    Nguyen Thao Nhan,
-    Van Nguyen Thao Linh,
-    Ngo Vu Bao Tran.

This project focused on addressing the shortage and inconsistency of bioactive compounds found in natural gotu kola (Centella asiatica).

Two DTU students, Nguyen Thao Nhan (left) and Ngo Vu Bao Tran, took part in the research on gotu kola. Photo courtesy of DTU

They successfully established an in-vitro adventitious root culture system with rapid growth, capable of producing high-quality and stable biomass that can be standardized. Their results show that using root samples combined with IBA at a concentration of 0.5 mg/L led to a 100% rooting rate while minimizing callus formation.

They also used shake-flask techniques to evaluate and optimize the basal mineral medium and sucrose concentration to further enhance biomass growth.

All data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s test at a significance level of p < 0.05, ensuring the scientific reliability of the findings.

Students in DTU’s Cell Technology Laboratory. Photo courtesy of DTU

The study was judged as opening up a sustainable method of producing raw materials for the modern pharmaceutical industry, helping secure supply and control the quality of medicinal resources.

“With the dedicated guidance of Dr Ho Thanh Tam, Head of Biotechnology, we gradually refined the project and overcame many experimental challenges,” Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, the student who gave the presentation at the conference, explained.

“Having our names called at the conference was a memorable milestone that acknowledges our efforts and affirms the practical potential of our research.

“In the near future, we’ll continue in-depth studies and focus on analyzing saponin content and key active compounds, such as Rg1, Rb1, Rd, and MR2, in Vietnamese ginseng. We’re also going to test biological activities from extracts of in-vitro cultured adventitious roots.”

DTU students participate in field trips and career orientation at diverse locations. Photo courtesy of DTU

Previously, several of the students in the two teams had already received notable awards. Nguyen Tran Kim Long won an award for Outstanding Poster Presentation at the Global Symposium of the Asian Society of Natural Products (ASNP) in Jecheon in 2026.

He also co-authored the paper Rhizome induction and proliferation in Anoectochilus lylei for biomass and bioactive compounds accumulation, published in the international journal Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (Q1, IF 2.3) in 2025.

Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy and Van Thi Kieu Nga also received awards for Outstanding Poster Presentation at the ASNP Symposium in Jecheon in 2026.

The participation of both DTU student research teams in a prestigious international conference and their awards highlight their research capabilities, scientific thinking, and academic dedication, and also affirms the university’s training quality and its efforts for applied research, connecting fundamental science with the development needs of the modern medicinal-plant and biotechnology industries.

DTU’s programs are highly ranked in prestigious global rankings:

Pharmacy & Pharmacology: 301-350 in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026,
Life Sciences: 301-400 in Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2026.

(Media Center)