After eight grueling years researching in Japan with many obstacles, Dr La Hoang Anh has proven the potential of compounds in rice grains and weed to prevent blood cancer.
At 35 years of age, Dr. La Hoang Anh is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Sophia Agricultural Engineering Research Institute. This is an accredited organization that is co-managed by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Côte d’Azur University, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
He has been in France for nearly a year now under the French Government Excellence Initiative Scholarship. Before this, he graduated with a PhD in Agricultural Studies at Hiroshima University, Japan, with high distinction.
His dissertation focused on the blood cancer-preventing potential of natural active ingredients extracted from invasive weed and rice plants. Under the instruction of Professor Tran Dang Xuan — a renowned Vietnamese scientist in Japan — the study results garnered attention for opening up new research avenues.
Dr. La Hoang Anh in his laboratory in Japan
He came to Japan and enrolled in Hiroshima University’s Master’s in Agriculture in 2015 after graduating from the Vietnam National University of Agriculture. Within two years, he published 11 papers in ISI and Scopus journals, graduated with high distinction with a GPA of 2.94/3, and received Ph.D.-level scholarships from the French and Japanese governments.
He decided to stay in Japan, continuing to develop his Master’s thesis topic on Momilactone A and B compounds in rice. These compounds are 30,000 times more valuable than gold, according to a famous company specializing in biochemical products in England.
He focused on proving that they play a role in accelerating the process of apoptosis in blood cancer cells and preventing them from multiplying. He benefited from part of the results, as before this, the research group’s supervisors had found and successfully isolated Momilactone A and B from rice husks and white rice, simultaneously proving that they have the ability to suppress diabetes and obesity.
Despite this, during his first year, he reached a dead end when he was unable to find a suitable research method. There was a period when he stayed in the research laboratory for 2–3 consecutive days to monitor chemical reactions but failed to yield results after hundreds of attempts.
“It was the first time I thought about having to ‘repeat a year,’ being unable to complete my Doctorate program within 3 years,” He shared. “More importantly, I could have had to give up on a promising line of research.”
Facing a dead end, he thought about Vu Quang Lam, a classmate specializing in Biology at the Hanoi National University of Education High School for Gifted Students, currently pursuing a doctorate at Aichi Medical University, Japan.
Having received a chance to collaborate with a number of lecturers through his friend’s connections and doing an internship at Aichi University’s laboratory for a month, he solved all of his initial struggles, finally comprehending the mechanisms of cancer to propose a research method.
He, along with his group, proved the blood cancer-preventing potential of Momilactone A and B compounds in rice. Furthermore, these compounds, along with their mixtures, have the ability to substantially suppress the development of cancer cells compared to popular cancer-curing medications such as doxorubicin and arsenic trioxide (ATO).
In 2022, this research was published in Cancers — a Q1 (most prestigious) journal specializing in cancer research — and was expected to lay the groundwork for research and development of effective cancer treatments based on Momilactone.
The group also opened another research avenue related to invasive weed, also known as reed grass. By applying various high-tech extraction methods, Dr. La Hoang Anh and his colleagues successfully isolated a number of substances that fight against oxidation and suppress the enzyme tyrosinase and blood cancer cells in these plants. The results were first published at the end of 2020 in Plants — a Q1 journal specializing in plant science.
The study made waves and was mentioned in various health journals as the first study that found new potential in invasive weed.
In both publications, Dr. La Hoang Anh was the first author. Thanks to this, he was twice awarded the Outstanding Student Award by the President of Hiroshima University.
From then on, he has collaborated in instructing 10 doctoral students and 7 master’s students.
Dr. La Hoang Anh at a conference in France
During his time in Japan, Dr. La Hoang Anh felt lucky to be part of the research group of Professor Tran Dang Xuan. He still remembers his supervisor’s teaching from the first days of enrolling in university: “Regardless of their innate abilities, the most crucial qualities for students are discipline, diligence, and determination.”
Seeing his supervisor working until 3–4 o’clock in the morning and not taking breaks even when he was sick gave him more motivation.
Dr. Vu Quang Lam, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Haematology, Faculty of Internal Medicine at Aichi Medical University, comments on Dr. La Hoang Anh as passionate and open-minded. He mentioned the time Dr. La Hoang Anh came for the internship during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, he completed all procedures, vaccination processes, and quarantine requirements to be present as planned.
Dr. Vu Quang Lam also commented: “He is always responsible and usually ensures progress in his work, regardless of any difficulties.”
Until now, Dr. La Hoang Anh has nearly 40 publications in international journals, with 35 of them in the “Web of Science” catalog — the world’s largest academic indexing system — with over 600 citations. He is also the author of a chapter published by the world’s top science publisher, Springer Nature, along with numerous scientific reports presented at prestigious conferences.
In addition, he has participated in various initiatives aimed at supporting his hometown through the Vietnam-Japan Specialists (VJS) and the Vietnamese Academic Network in Japan (VANJ). In 2023, Dr. La Hoang Anh was awarded a certificate of merit by the Consul General of Vietnam in Fukuoka for his outstanding contributions to the community.
Dr. La Hoang Anh yearns to return to his home country at a suitable time, as he regards Vietnam as having high potential for development in agricultural research.
“I want to contribute to public well-being and my home country’s agriculture sector by developing practical research, thus creating valuable products,” he said, citing the development of functional foods or drugs based on research into the cancer-fighting potential of rice and weeds as an example.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/tien-si-viet-giai-ma-tiem-nang-chua-ung-thu-mau-tu-gao-va-co-dai-5040043.html
