{"id":2475,"date":"2026-02-24T01:09:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/?p=2475"},"modified":"2026-02-24T01:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:09:24","slug":"vietnamese-scientist-decodes-the-potential-of-rice-and-weeds-to-treat-blood-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/2026\/02\/24\/vietnamese-scientist-decodes-the-potential-of-rice-and-weeds-to-treat-blood-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese scientist decodes the potential of rice and weeds to treat blood cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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, C\u00f4te d&#8217;Azur University, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u2014 a renowned Vietnamese scientist in Japan \u2014 the study results garnered attention for opening up new research avenues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"721\" height=\"557\" src=\"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png 721w, https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-210x162.png 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. La Hoang Anh in his laboratory in Japan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He came to Japan and enrolled in Hiroshima University\u2019s Master\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He decided to stay in Japan, continuing to develop his Master\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u20133 consecutive days to monitor chemical reactions but failed to yield results after hundreds of attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was the first time I thought about having to \u2018repeat a year,\u2019 being unable to complete my Doctorate program within 3 years,\u201d He shared. \u201cMore importantly, I could have had to give up on a promising line of research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Facing a dead end, he thought about &nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having received a chance to collaborate with a number of lecturers through his friend\u2019s connections and doing an internship at Aichi University\u2019s laboratory for a month, he solved all of his initial struggles, finally comprehending the mechanisms of cancer to propose a research method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, this research was published in <em>Cancers<\/em> \u2014 a Q1 (most prestigious) journal specializing in cancer research \u2014 and was expected to lay the groundwork for research and development of effective cancer treatments based on Momilactone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <em>Plants<\/em> \u2014 a Q1 journal specializing in plant science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study made waves and was mentioned in various health journals as the first study that found new potential in invasive weed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From then on, he has collaborated in instructing 10 doctoral students and 7 master\u2019s students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"694\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-4.jpeg 694w, https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-4-300x217.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-4-210x152.jpeg 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. La Hoang Anh at a conference in France<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s teaching from the first days of enrolling in university: \u201cRegardless of their innate abilities, the most crucial qualities for students are discipline, diligence, and determination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeing his supervisor working until 3\u20134 o\u2019clock in the morning and not taking breaks even when he was sick gave him more motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Dr. Vu Quang Lam also commented: \u201cHe is always responsible and usually ensures progress in his work, regardless of any difficulties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until now, Dr. La Hoang Anh has nearly 40 publications in international journals, with 35 of them in the \u201cWeb of Science\u201d catalog \u2014 the world\u2019s largest academic indexing system \u2014 with over 600 citations. He is also the author of a chapter published by the world\u2019s top science publisher, Springer Nature, along with numerous scientific reports presented at prestigious conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to contribute to public well-being and my home country\u2019s agriculture sector by developing practical research, thus creating valuable products,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: https:\/\/vnexpress.net\/tien-si-viet-giai-ma-tiem-nang-chua-ung-thu-mau-tu-gao-va-co-dai-5040043.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2475"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2479,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475\/revisions\/2479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp\/~tdxuan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}