On July 26, 2025, three scientists from leading US universities visited DTU to give presentations on “Innovative Technology Applications in Healthcare”. They shared their research findings, discussed current trends, and introduced new and noteworthy technology applications in the medical field nowadays.
These scientists are leading experts in their respective areas and have years of dedicated research and academic contributions under their belts:
• Prof. Dr Samir Mitragotri is currently conducting research and lecturing at Harvard University. He is co-founder of Cage Bio, i2o Therapeutics, and Fount Bio, Inc., companies specialized in developing drug delivery technologies.
• Prof. Dr Yadong Wang is currently conducting research and lecturing at Cornell University. He is co-founder of Global Biomedical Technology, a company specialized in biomedical technology.
• Assoc.Prof. Dr Nguyen Duc Thanh is currently conducting research and lecturing on medical materials at the University of Connecticut.
The seminar on “Innovative Technology Applications in Healthcare” provided a platform for in-depth academic exchange where the scientists gave concrete information on groundbreaking research with significant potential for improving community health.
Prof. Dr Samir Mitragotri, Harvard University
A leading expert in the field of drug delivery, Prof. Dr Samir Mitragotri shared his research on the development of ionic liquids that enable efficient drug transport across biological membranes and into organs with high precision in terms of location, timing, and dosage. His research team has synthesized a library of tunable and highly biocompatible ionic liquids, forming a foundation for various studies on different drug delivery mechanisms. According to Prof. Mitragotri, drug delivery is just as crucial as drug discovery, and one of the greatest challenges in medicine is that drugs cannot simply be left to their own devices once in the body; a drug’s path must be controlled until it reaches the intended target for it to be effective.
“The challenges we face in medicine today are incredibly complex,” said Prof. Mitragotri. “Treating conditions like neurological disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular disease is extremely difficult. I believe in the innovation going on in medicine these days, and I’m convinced that the only way to tackle these medical challenges is through technological innovation. Another critical factor is well-trained people, especially young people who are willing to take on these challenges with passion until the end and find thorough solutions to the problems and difficulties in the field. When human talent and technological innovation come together, that’s when miracles happen. And it’s universities like DTU that play a vital role in bringing these two elements together, through their strong focus on innovation & research and their dedication to health sciences education.”
Prof. Dr Yadong Wang, Cornell University
Prof. Dr Yadong Wang from Cornell University presented his research on artificial blood vessels made from bio-elastomers - elastic materials that are both biodegradable and highly biocompatible. He also discussed how these bio-elastomers have been developed into advanced biomedical adhesives that are now widely available worldwide. He also introduced his team’s latest invention: a new type of elastomer that is one of the first elastic plastics capable of being 3D-printed, which he believes can address gaps left by current products. As an expert in cardiovascular devices, he expressed his admiration for DTU’s successful development of the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Skill Support Machine or eCPR.
“I’ve learned about DTU’s eCPR. It’s a very meaningful, humane, and community-oriented technological innovation from this university,” Prof. Wang explained. “Many people will benefit from this technology, especially those who, after resuscitation and recovery, get to live long and healthy lives. The development of new technologies and products in service of human health is both important and necessary. However, many high-tech medical products today are expensive for various reasons. That’s why scientists must work together to create impactful but affordable solutions that are accessible to patients - not just meeting demand for health improvement in developed countries but around the globe. That’s the reason we’ve dedicated so much time and effort to our research and to presenting our work at forums like this one here at DTU.”
Assoc.Prof. Dr Nguyen Duc Thanh, University of Connecticut
Currently working on in-depth research on medical materials at the University of Connecticut, Assoc.Prof. Dr Nguyen Duc Thanh spoke on his team’s development of new technologies to monitor joint load, formulate pain relief medications for patients, and design new treatment methods for osteoarthritis, one of the most common joint diseases today.
“Research and application of new materials in biomedicine for tissue and cartilage regeneration and for drug delivery has the potential to significantly impact human health,” Assoc.Prof. Duc Thanh said. “The knowledge shared here by world-leading professors is truly useful, and I believe it’ll bring about novel knowledge, inspire domestic researchers, and especially give young scientists a better understanding of the importance of biomaterials. Furthermore, today’s seminar has provided a much-needed connection, marking the potential beginning of collaborations between DTU and leading global researchers in these research fields.”
Speakers and guests (leadership of Hue Central Hospital, of Hospital 199 of the Ministry of Public Security,
and of the Danang Department of Health), with DTU staff, lecturers, and students
For the many years that DTU has been training students in the health sciences while continuously researching and developing high-tech products for medical applications, the university has proactively forged partnerships with major medical institutions around the world to improve training quality and connecting with top scientists to build a quality academic environment - to contribute to Vietnam’s overall development and improve public health.
“Biomaterials, new materials, and electronic sensor technologies are gaining significant global attention because of their essential role in various fields, and their potential to drive technological breakthroughs and solve big and pressing issues in research, development, manufacturing, and medical applications,” People’s Teacher Prof. Dr MD Tran Huu Dang, Vice Director of DTU and Provost of the College of Medicine and Pharmacy (CMP), explained. “The Profs. Samir Mitragotri, Yadong Wang, and Nguyen Duc Thanh are not only world-renowned scholars but also accomplished entrepreneurs who have founded many quite successful startups. The research they presented today therefore goes beyond theoretical knowledge; it covers the practical innovation we have been waiting for and delivers innovations that can transform the quality of life in our communities.
“One often hears that the Vietnamese people are growing rich, but some worry that we’ll get stuck three quarters of the way, and three quarters of the Vietnamese word for rich (giàu) is old (già). So the real challenge is this: Can our people grow rich before we grow old? Or at the very least, if we do grow old, let us be rich, to ensure quality of life. To achieve that, healthcare and medical innovation play a vital role in transforming how we live. In this new era driven by artificial intelligence and other innovations, I hope we’ll progress even faster, as a young and dynamic nation and as modern individuals capable of absorbing and sharing new knowledge.”
(Media Center)