Vietnam Advances Corneal Transplantation with Bio-Cornea Technology

Research and technology transfer are underway in Vietnam to practically apply bio-cornea transplantation technology. Vietnam's Gen & Cell Technology Company (VGCT, under CT Group) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Central Eye Hospital under a public-private partnership model in the biomedical field. This marks the first step in collaborative research, technology transfer, and preparation of necessary conditions for the introduction of bio-cornea technology in Vietnam. Earlier, in April, VGCT announced the successful transplantation of bio-cornea in humans, attracting the attention of many domestic and international experts. Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Director of the Central Eye Hospital, stated that while the hospital has performed corneal transplants for many years, the waiting list for patients is consistently long due to insufficient supply of donor corneas. "With an additional source of alternative corneas, this will be a significant advancement for the ophthalmology sector. Vietnam will be able to access one of the important achievements of medicine: the creation of bio-corneas for human application," he said. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 people in Vietnam and over 6 million people in the ASEAN region require corneal transplants. However, between 2023 and 2025, the Eye Bank is expected to receive only about 300 donor corneas for transplantation. In 2025 alone, the number of received corneas was 188, far below the treatment needs. The scarcity of donor corneas forces many patients to wait for decades for a transplant. Dr. Dang Thi Tuoi, Vice General Director of VGCT, said that the company plans to commercialize the product within the next few months through a collaborative model involving research institutes and universities, including the Central Eye Hospital. "The greatest value of this cooperation is to jointly build research capacity, master technology, and form an effective public-private partnership model between hospitals and businesses," said Dr. Tuoi, hoping that this model will be replicated in many other biomedical fields in Vietnam. Established in 2018, VGCT has chosen to develop biotechnology applications in biomedicine, with many key technologies such as animal organ transplantation for humans, CAR-T cell therapy, stem cells, and cancer research and treatment. Advanced biotechnology and biomedicine are among the 10 strategic technology groups promulgated by the Prime Minister in May. The government's list of 30 strategic technological products also includes many products in this field, such as new-generation vaccines for humans; cell therapies for humans; personalized medical product manufacturing systems applying 3D printing technology; smart biosensor systems; and new-generation vaccines and biological products for animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, aquaculture, crop cultivation, and plant protection.