Accordingly, the study named HEP-D, conducted free screening for viral hepatitis D according to international standards, assessed the risk of co-infection in nearly 2,500 people with hepatitis B, contributing to promoting solutions to reduce the rate of cirrhosis and liver cancer in Vietnam.
Dr. Phuong Le Tri, Executive Director of Tam Anh Research Institute, said that the HEP-D Research is a joint project between scientists of Tam Anh Research Institute under the Tam Anh General Hospital System and Stanford Institute for Bi Biological Research and Control (USA). This is the first largest-scale study ever in Vietnam on hepatitis D, aiming to help patients with co-infection of hepatitis B - D have more opportunities for early detection, proactively manage, treat, and effectively prevent cirrhosis - liver cancer; as an important premise for helping Vietnam access early research on specific drugs for liver disease D.
The study will be implemented in multiple centers at Tam Anh Hanoi General Hospital, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City and Bach Mai Hospital from November 2025 to July 2026.
MSc. Dr. Le Thanh Quynh Ngan, Head of the Center for Hepatitis and Fatty liver, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the virus that causes viral hepatitis D (HDV) is a virus that only attacks people infected with viral hepatitis B. These two viruses "go together" to speed up the rate of cirrhosis and liver cancer by 2-3 times. Currently, Vietnam has about 10 million people with viral hepatitis B. However, most patients have never been screened for viral hepatitis D, leading to a lack of important data to strictly manage cases of co-infection with both viruses.
Currently, hepatitis D testing requires more complex techniques than conventional hepatitis B testing. Therefore, immediately after signing a cooperation agreement with the Institute for Biological Research and Control of Stanford, Tam Anh General Hospital System has invested in a synchronous system of modern specialized vitamin D viral hepatitis testing equipment worth tens of billions of VND to serve this study.
The HEP-D research of the Tam Anh Research Institute applies international testing standards, synchronous equipment and processes, to ensure that data is reliable enough for assessment and comparison with major studies in the world, said Dr. Tri.
To study HEP-D according to international standards, the Stanford Institute for Biological Research and Control (USA) received and directly trained a team of doctors and technicians from the Testing Center and the Tam Anh General Hospital Research Institute on Super Vicious Hunger D testing techniques according to " Stanford standards". Typically, the Q-MAC technique, using modern specialized equipment systems from bioDot and Odyssey DLx from LI‐COR (USA), helps to accurately assess antibodies to hepatitis D virus, which can cause liver cancer, especially in patients with chronic hepatitis B such as in the HEP-D study.
In addition, Tam Anh General Hospital system also owns a modern Center for pathology - Cell and meets the world's leading standards in pathology such as comprehensive CAP, ISO 15189:2012, accredited by the American Association of Diseases; Acuson Sequoia 4D ultrasound machine system; GE E10s and GE Fortis combined with new techniques of AIFI ultrasound elasticity; CT "super machine" system with more than 100,000 slices, 1975 slices and MRI 3 Tesla... assessing diseases closely related to hepatitis B, D and other diseases of liver and galleries.
According to Dr. Tri, the HEP-D study by the Tam Anh Research Institute will collect patients aged 16 and over who have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B. Participants only need to visit once and get a blood test to detect whether they have hepatitis D virus infection or not. All testing costs within the scope of the study will be free of charge. At the same time, participants will be supported with a part of the travel cost. By participating completely voluntarily, patients can withdraw at any time without affecting their normal examination and treatment process.
The HEP-D research was deployed in multiple centers at Tam Anh Hanoi General Hospital, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City and Bach Mai Hospital.
At Tam Anh General Hospital, patients participating in the study will be consulted by doctors at the Center for Hepatitis and Fatty liver and conduct the steps of liver inflammation screening D. If you or your loved one wants to learn more about this study and register to participate, please contact the hotline: 0287 102 6789 (HCMC) and 0247 106 6858 (Hanoi) or via email cskh@tah Hospital.vn.
