This biomarker testing research project is part of a comprehensive cooperation signing ceremony in the field of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and management of dementia and Alzheimer's in the elderly between two hospitals. This is a project that has been implemented for an unprecedented long time in 10 years and on a large scale at the National Geriatric Hospital and the Tam Anh General Hospital System.
Detecting biological markers in the blood is currently a revolution in early diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer's with high accuracy results. With a biomarker in the blood, a few minutes of testing can tell whether a person will have Alzheimer's disease 20 years later or not. This test can be widely implemented, at low cost; contributing scientific data for health agencies to develop national strategies in disease screening, prevention and management. This cooperation model is expected to contribute to reducing the serious impacts of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on the economy and society.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trung Anh, Director of the National Geriatric Hospital, said that building a biobank, researching vertical monitoring and applying biomarkers in diagnosing Alzheimer's will contribute to bringing Vietnam to participate more deeply in the global neuroscience research map, opening up opportunities for cooperation and international scientific publications.
According to the cooperation signed between Tam Anh and Central Geriatric Hospitals, training programs, professional exchanges, and scientific progress updates will be organized to improve the capacity of geriatric and neurological human resources in Vietnam. The cooperation also promotes the application of digital technology platforms in dementia care, including: Mobile applications; Internet of Things (IoT) integrated equipment system to support patient care and management; specialized electronic health records for dementia patients...
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Ngo Quang - Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Training, Ministry of Health, highly appreciated the spirit of willingness to accompany and invest in science, social responsibility of the Tam Anh General Hospital system. "In fact, not many non-public health units are willing to participate and invest in long-term research tasks. However, if we do not research, we will not be able to have scientific data for development," Mr. Quang said.
Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tam Anh General Hospital System affirmed: "We believe that the combination of clinical capacity and geriatric research and specialized neurological diseases of the National Geriatric Hospital combined with international scientific research cooperation experience and technology infrastructure serving both clinical research, clinical examination and treatment as well as Tam Anh's team of good experts will create a special and pioneering cooperation model. From there, contributing to improving the capacity to diagnose, treat and manage dementia in Vietnamese elderly people".
In Vietnam, a study shows that about 4.5% of people over 60 years old suffer from dementia, the incidence rate increases with age. However, this number may not accurately reflect the overall picture of this disease in Vietnam. Because early and accurate diagnosis of the disease today still has many limitations in social awareness, technology, methods, and techniques. Modern diagnostic methods such as PET-CT or cerebrospinal fluid tests are costly, require repeated implementation and seriously invade the body's cerebrospinal fluid removal test.
Pioneering and breakthrough cooperation between the National Geriatric Hospital and the Tam Anh General Hospital System to realize the important policies of the Politburo in Resolutions 57, 68 and 72, applying world-leading modern science and technology to support diagnosis and treatment, manage diseases that have serious impacts on public health and the burden of health; in which it is especially consistent with the policy of promoting preventive medicine and comprehensive health care for the elderly, strengthening the protection, care and improvement of people's health.
It is expected that the project will officially recruit patients for testing at the National Geriatric Hospital and the Tam Anh Hanoi General Hospital System and Tam Anh Ho Chi Minh City from April 2026.
