Vietnam has for the first time succeeded in applying nanotechnology to produce Nano Curcumin—a substance that can help cure cancer, according to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. The breakthrough is a result of a two-year research project conducted by scientists at the National Chemistry Institute of the Academy. The Nano Curcumin is exacted from local yellow turmeric, commonly known as Curcuma longa, and can help improve the remedy of several diseases, especially cancer. The product is five times cheaper than the imports, said Pham Huu Ly from the institute. According to Prof. Nguyen Khanh Trach, chairman of the Vietnam Internal Medicine Association, the project has marked an important step in applying nanotechnology to the medical and pharmaceutical sectors in Vietnam, where up to 150,000 people suffer from cancer and 75,000 die of the disease each year. Vietnam has become the 10th country worldwide to make such curcumin using nanotechnology. (vietnamplus.vn Oct 31, Tuoi Tre – Youth Oct 30)
