Vietnam Shocks the World With Animal-To-Human Organ Transplantation Technology
HANOI, Vietnam, April 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the morning of April 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Hanoi, a scientific and technological bombshell was unveiled at the Meliá Hotel conference hall: the transplantation of porcine cornea into humans. This biomedical breakthrough was announced at the International Scientific Symposium on Bioengineered Cornea, co-organized by Vietnam Gene and Cell Technology Joint Stock Company (VGCT) - a member of CT Group, in collaboration with the Vietnam Ophthalmological Society and ACRO Biomedical (Taiwan).
The symposium was attended by leaders of the Ministry of Health, representatives of the Vietnam Ophthalmological Society, leading eye hospitals such as the National Eye Hospital and Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, along with hundreds of professors, scientists, and corneal specialists from public and private hospital systems as well as universities and academic institutions in Vietnam and abroad.
It is rare to witness such a high level of excitement and consensus among domestic and international scientists, the Ministry of Health, and the business community, as nearly 500,000 blind people in Vietnam and almost 6 million across ASEAN now stand before a new opportunity made possible by this breakthrough in science and technology.
Dr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director General of the Medical Services Administration (Ministry of Health), stated: “It is estimated that Vietnam has more than 500,000 people who are blind due to corneal disease, while the demand for corneal transplantation continues to increase and the availability of donor corneas remains extremely limited. Therefore, the search for alternative solutions is an urgent necessity for ophthalmology today, not only in Vietnam but also in many countries around the world. Through discussions with relevant departments within the Ministry of Health, we understand that the application dossier for circulation approval of a bioengineered cornea product has been submitted to the Ministry. As such, today’s symposium holds significant importance, providing policymakers, particularly departments and agencies under the Ministry, with practical, objective, and scientific evidence to comprehensively evaluate the technical, clinical, and legal aspects of the product when considering its approval for circulation in Vietnam.”
Dr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director General of the Medical Services Administration (Ministry of Health) speaking at the event.
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong – Director of the Vietnam National Eye Hospital (far left) chaired the expert panel discussion.
Drawing from the clinical reality at Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, Dr. Lam Minh Vinh (MD, MSc, Specialist Level II), Head of the Cornea Department, analyzed: “Among hospitalized patients, up to 90% present with corneal ulcers, and in many cases the entire cornea is ulcerated; however, because no graft tissue is available, enucleation becomes unavoidable. Over the past 13 years, the rate of enucleation at Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital has remained relatively high at 12%, reflecting the severity of corneal tissue shortage... Although transplantation techniques and professional expertise have advanced considerably, the limitation in donor corneal tissue continues to significantly reduce the chances of globe preservation and visual rehabilitation for patients.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Xuan Cung, Head of the Cornea Department at the National Eye Hospital, stated: “According to data from the Eye Bank for the 2023–2025 period, approximately 300 corneas were procured for transplantation surgery, of which 188 were collected in 2025 alone. However, this figure remains very modest compared with the steadily increasing demand. The number of patients blinded by corneal disease continues to accumulate over time, while corneal transplantation cannot be widely implemented due to the limited supply of domestically donated corneas... Therefore, there is an urgent need for an additional readily available source of corneal tissue so that corneal transplantation can be performed whenever necessary, and bioengineered cornea is an effective solution.”
In response to this challenge, VGCT and ACRO Biomedical - VGCT’s long-term partner - have proactively researched and developed bioengineered corneal technology using porcine tissue as the source material. For the first time, porcine cornea is being positioned as a medical biomaterial capable of helping blind patients regain sight, emerging as a proprietary new technology with the potential to reach across the ASEAN region.
Clinical practice has already recorded positive outcomes from this approach. Dr. Xiaoming Yao, Advisor at Shenzhen Eye Hospital (Shenzhen, China), conducted a clinical observational study on the application of porcine cornea in the treatment of infectious keratitis at Aidi Eye Hospital (Sichuan, China) in order to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and clinical efficacy of this material.
“The study was conducted on 19 patients with stromal defects involving more than half of the corneal thickness, using lamellar keratoplasty. The graft material used was decellularized porcine corneal stroma. Most successful protocols have employed a combination of methods, such as freeze–thaw cycles combined with enzymes, or osmotic treatment combined with supercritical CO2, in order to achieve a balance between efficacy and preservation of tissue structure. Follow-up results after 12 months showed a graft survival rate of 94.7%, equivalent to 18 out of 19 patients regaining functional vision. In emergency situations where donor tissue is unavailable, bioengineered cornea using decellularized porcine corneal stroma as the graft material is truly a “savior” for preserving vision, and the clinical value of this biomaterial is beyond dispute,” said Dr. Xiaoming Yao.
As a surgeon directly involved in porcine corneal transplantation, Dr. Chen Jiunn-Liang, Director of the Department of Ophthalmology at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (Taiwan), shared his experience from four cases of complex corneal injury. He explained: “In these cases, the material used was decellularized porcine corneal stroma, transplanted using anterior lamellar keratoplasty. Postoperative outcomes showed that, in patients with refractory corneal ulcers at risk of perforation, the affected areas were effectively covered by an acellular corneal scaffold derived from porcine tissue. In cases of scleral calcification, previously ischemic tissue also improved after being covered by conjunctival vascularization. Compared with other graft materials, porcine cornea offers several outstanding advantages, including an abundant and readily available supply, an almost negligible risk of graft rejection, the ability to function as an inert biological scaffold, and high mechanical stability. Following treatment, all patients recovered well and reported positive outcomes.”
Analyzing the rationale for selecting porcine cornea for transplantation in humans, Dr. Dar-Jen Hsieh - Chairman and CEO of ACRO Biomedical, stated: “Donor human corneas contain donor-derived cells, which may trigger immunologic graft rejection in recipients; therefore, patients often require long-term immunosuppressive therapy. In contrast, the porcine eyeball is similar in size to the human eyeball, and the histological structure of the porcine cornea is also comparable to that of the human cornea.”
Dr. Dar-Jen Hsieh presenting at the symposium.
Ms. Dang Thi Tuoi, Deputy CEO of VGCT, shared that the company is effectively implementing the “triple helix model” (government–university–enterprise) under Resolution 57, in collaboration with institutes, universities, the Ministry of Health, particularly the Vietnam National Eye Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, and numerous ophthalmology centers nationwide. Bioengineered cornea derived from animal tissue represents a breakthrough solution to address the shortage of donor corneas, opening up opportunities for visual rehabilitation for millions of patients, while also laying the foundation for Vietnam to gradually master advanced biomedical technologies.
The restoration of sight for a blind person is not only a medical achievement, but also a comprehensive recovery of quality of life and working capacity, while easing the burden on their families. At the societal level, this contributes to improving quality of life, increasing citizens’ happiness index, and expanding Vietnam’s labor force, with the potential to contribute approximately 0.3–0.4% of GDP to the economy as a portion of visually impaired individuals return to work.
If deployed on a national scale, with synchronized participation from the “three parties,” this field could become one of the drivers contributing to the goal of double-digit growth, particularly in high-tech and biomedical sectors. To realize this strategy, close collaboration from state management agencies, hospitals, scientists, and international partners will be essential to complete the ecosystem and accelerate large-scale deployment across Vietnam and ASEAN as quickly as possible.
Media contact: info@vgct.com.vn
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VGCT's Source
Dr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director General of the Medical Services Administration (Ministry of Health) speaking at the event.
VGCT's Source
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong – Director of the Vietnam National Eye Hospital (far left) chaired the expert panel discussion.
VGCT's Source
Dr. Dar-Jen Hsieh presenting at the symposium.
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