Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong from the Ho Chi Minh City-based Vietnam National University was presented with the International Rising Talent award from the L’Oreal-UNESCO programme at a ceremony in Paris, France on Wednesday, becoming the first Vietnamese female scientist to receive this honor.
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| Dr. Tran Ha Lien Phuong was presented with the International Rising Talent award. (Photo: VNA) |
The 34-year-old scientist, a lecturer from the HCM City-based Vietnam National University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, was honored for her project on the development of fucoidan-based polymeric micelles for cancer diagnosis and treatment which will reportedly help make the treatment cheaper and more effective. Phuong said it was her honor to be the first Vietnamese woman to receive the award: “I decided to use natural materials as most treatment protocols are toxic and expensive. The natural materials have proven to be more effective, well compatible to human body and affordable. The award is significant to us which will also fund further our research into the cancer treatment”.
Also at the ceremony, the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science programme honored five outstanding female scientists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America for their breakthrough achievements in the natural sciences.
