The guiding principle of her research are finding, discovering, and creating high quality and environment-friendly product from nature.
The result of the scientific research work on medicinal plant Crinum latifolium L. became famous, and was applied in the formulation and production of Crila, a precious pharmaceutical treatment of uterine fibroids, breast fibroids in women and prostatic tumors in men. However, we did not imagine the author of this “cult” scientific research is so simple, open, and sensitive in real life. After receiving the 2007 Kovalevskaya Prize, she, the woman addicted to science, heartwarmingly told us about her next intention of her research. She is Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram.
“Dare to think, dare to do”.
Opening the story about science, Dr. said that her today achievement is the sum of many factors. Apart from her passion, dedication, and right research intention, she has very brilliant friends and colleagues, as well as the firm support of her family. Her family - behind her happy smile is the image of a gentle husband, understanding, respecting, and sharing passion with his wife and her two obedient, studious, and independent children. She said that female scientists have tried twice harder than male scientists do. Apart from health and knowledge reasons, a woman must harmonize intellectual work and family work.
Upstream, while she studied to get a grant for postgraduate study overseas she had two very young children. The desire to walk on the path of knowledge made this woman study after her children slept. With her diligence, hard work combining with innate intelligence, she achieved an excellent result in the graduate exam nationwide in 1984.
Her doctoral thesis, on the composition in the essential oils of a Vietnamese plant, was considered so outstanding, that she was invited to continue as a collaborator in research with Sofia Technical University in Bulgaria. The message of her father (Professor and Doctor in science Nguyen Van Truong - Editor-in-Chief of Vietnam Encyclopedic Dictionary) about the responsibility for the country’s pharmaceutical industry made her decides to return home and begin the mysterious journey: study of natural products (medicinal plants) to produce medicines.
Dr. Tram's first successful research project is extracting essential oils from the herb Coleus Aromaticus Benth Labiatae, to make cough syrup for children. The ongoing journey to look for medicinal plants brings her an opportunity to experience folklore remedies. One of the milestone opportunities and huge turning point in her research life happened in 1990 when she met Royal Virgin plant and its mysterious anecdote. It is a medicinal plant transmitted in folk by words of mouth, with vague research literature. She embarked on studying the medicinal plant having a beautiful name with special passion.
Creating a clean product.
To reach the destination gloriously, Dr. Tram uninterruptedly spent 17 years getting over many obstacles and challenges with Crinum latifolium L. However, thanks to her steady stance, clear research intention, and long-term strategic investment, she built a belief that, “If my researching life does not create a product, at least it can set the foundation for future generations to study.”
The good news is that this woman, a brave pioneer who laid the foundation on a new science industry created products that thousands of patients expect. Crila capsule - a product 100% derived from nature can bring high treatment efficacy, minimum side effects, with clinical trials successfully at 79.5%. This is a positive treatment result of pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, the price of this product is a half cheaper than that of imported products, which has the same effect as Tadenan (France). Regardless of that, treatment period of Crila is only 2-3 months, while that of Tadenan product is through years. To ensure optimum performance of the drug, medicinal plants have to be managed very strictly and no pesticides or chemical fertilizers accepted. This manufacturing process give Crila capsule the title “Quality Product for the community” and gold medal at the international and oriental medicine fair.
To create a closed chain from raw materials to products, Dr. Tram has inadvertently solved an economic problem. It creates jobs and high income for 105 employees.
During the meeting, we asked if the product is afraid of competition, she smiled lovely and said, “This plant also exists in India, but only our land’s geological conditions conglomerate specific elements to formulate Crila. Therefore, Crinum latifolium L. is Vietnam's exclusiveness”.
Currently, she is trying her best on a new, difficult, and challenging research industry: Finding out medicine for cancer treatment. Everything is very promising and all patients have the right to expect in the future. With Crila, she has created a major turning point towards the history of Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry in particular and global pharmaceutical industry in general. This is a potential product for export because it has active material source, production expanding and promises big contribution to the economy.
(Crinum latifolium L. is the proprietary medicinal plant of VN)
Pharmacist - Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram was born in 1950, in Nghe An province.
At the age of 24, she has been known by scientific circles with her first research project, ‘Extracting essential oils from the herb Coleus Aromaticus Benth Labiatae to make cough syrup for children.’ She did her doctoral thesis in Bulgaria and became a collaborator in research of Bulgarian Academy of Science. Nearly 17 years ago, Dr. Tram embarked on researching Crinum latifolium L. and associated with National Pharmaceutical Company No.2 to build a herbal plantation in Dong Nai and produce Crila capsule for treating uterine fibroids, breast fibroids and prostatic tumors in men, at a low price. This medicine gained the successful results of clinical trials in 79% of patients. According to the subject evaluation of Dr. Pham Thanh Ky - Chairman of the Council of Sciences, “The research is practical, consistent with current situation because fibroids are common diseases. The research results have made the safe treatment regimens from domestic pharmaceutical sources...” Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram’s research work was licensed about intellectual property and awarded the 2007 Kovalevskaya Prize.