Vietnamese Researcher Makes Biological Gel to Heal Wounds without Sutures

A Vietnamese university lecturer in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a gel for healing wounds without sutures, which is about to enter human trials after successfully testing it on pigs, the local VOV World newswire reported. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hiep, 38, head of the biomedical engineering department at the International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, has been conducting her research since 2013. Even people with no knowledge of first aid can apply the gel when someone is hurt before taking the victim to hospitals, making the product useful for people in some remote areas, Ms. Hiep said. The gel is made from some simple materials such as the shells of shrimp and crab that are readily available at little cost, she noted. For her invention, the Vietnamese researcher was among four people to receive the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science International Rising Talent award in March last year. In July, she was one of two Vietnamese named in the list of 100 most outstanding Asian researchers of 2019 by Singapore’s Asian Scientist magazine. (Tuoi Tre, VOVworld)