Two research projects from DTU on the role of non-coding RNA in coronary artery disease received prizes at the National Cardiology Conference 2025, held on October 18 and 19, 2025, in Hanoi.
Dr Phong Son and MSc MD My Thanh received first and third prizes
at the National Cardiology Conference 2025. Photo: DTU
Two scientific research projects
Two research projects by Dr Dinh Phong Son, Director of the DTU Center for Molecular Biology and lecturer in medicine & pharmacy, and MSc MD Tran Chau My Thanh, DTU lecturer in medicine & pharmacy, were published in the international journals Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine and Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics.
With the topic “Cardiology in the new era: Breakthroughs in diagnosis & treatment”, the conference gathered 2,100 physicians and cardiology researchers.
The National Cardiology Conference 2025, the largest annual scientific forum, received a total of 400 submissions by 290 authors. The event invites researchers to share their outstanding achievements in cardiovascular research, diagnosis, and treatment, to bring people together and promote science in service of community health.
The group of DTU researchers that included Dr Phong Son and MSc MD My Thanh presented two scientific projects on the role of non-coding RNA in coronary artery disease. They received major awards:
- Excellence award for “Hsa_circRNA_0000284 acts as a ceRNA to participate in coronary heart disease progression by sponging miRNA-338-3p via regulating the expression of ETS1”.
Through their research, the team managed to gather data showing how hsa_circRNA_0000284 functions as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA): It captures or absorbs miRNA-338-3p, so regulating the downstream gene ETS1, which plays a role in vascular inflammation and remodeling.
This clarifies how RNA dysregulation can lead to vascular endothelial injury in the early stages of coronary artery disease.
- Third prize for “Identification of hsa_circ_0001445 of a novel circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network as potential biomarker for coronary heart disease”.
This research identified hsa_circ_0001445 as a central node in the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network and how it is a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
Through bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation, the team constructed a new gene regulatory network map to help with identification of potential molecular targets for treatment.
Dr Phong Son and MSc MD My Thanh have received numerous awards
for their research and scientific guidance over the years. Photo: DTU
Starting from scratch
“When we began this research, we realized that the study of non-coding RNA and gene regulation mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases was still very new in Vietnam,” Dr Phong Son explains.
“We practically had to build everything from scratch - from designing primers and optimizing circRNA extraction to mastering CRISPR/Cas9 techniques.
“When the correlations between circRNA and target genes matched our initial hypotheses, everyone in the research team felt elated with the results.
“These achievements will certainly motivate us to continue pursuing research on non-coding RNA, to obtain a better understanding and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.”
With the effectiveness of their fundamental studies, DTU scientists are steadily contributing valuable discoveries and gradually building a foundation for precision medicine - a field in which every molecule and RNA signal can be key to improving diagnosis accuracy and treatment effectiveness.
Previously, the research team of Dr Phong Son and MSc MD My Thanh had already received numerous major awards.
“DTU prioritizes investment in modern laboratory infrastructure and advanced molecular equipment, and it offers flexible, creativity-driven research support policies,” MSc MD My Thanh, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, explains. “This creates ideal conditions by providing both the resources and motivation for our team to continue pursuing research directions in-depth.
“We always wish that DTU students wouldn’t only gain knowledge but also have thorough practical experience of the actual research process - from forming scientific hypotheses to publishing valuable results. This will help them define their career orientations and do well in their work later on.”
(Media Center)