A gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) study by Assoc. Prof. Dr Tran Van Khanh, which supports prenatal diagnosis of DMD to prevent genetic disorders, has earned the scientist the Kovalevskaya Award 201​7.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Tran Van Khanh, winner of the Kovalevskaya Award 201​7. (Photo: vnexpress.net)

Khanh, born in 1973, is head of the Faculty of Molecular Pathology and Deputy Director of Gen-Protein Research Centre under the Hanoi Medical University. She has attained several achievements in research on gene therapy and prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases.

The results of her study on gene therapy for DMD won high praise from the Ministry of Science and Technology and were also publicised in two foreign science magazines. 

To date, her genetic therapy has been carried out on 1,000 patients and their family members that helps detect healthy people carrying the genetic diseases. 

DMD is the most common fatal genetic disease that affects approximately one in every 3,500 new born boys. A steady decline in muscle strength occurs at the age of 6 and 11 and by 12 years many children are confined to a wheelchair. People with Duchenne have shorter lives, most die by the age of 20 due to heart and breathing problems.

The Kovalevskaya Awards is an annual ceremony to honour the most outstanding female scientists who have gained remarkable achievements in the research and application of science. This year’s event is scheduled for March 6.

The prestigious prize is named after the Russian female mathematician, Sofia Kovalevskaya, and is awarded by the fund of the same name. The fund operates in eight countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

VNA