Marshon Nguyen speaking at a lectern in the library of the Royal Society in London

Making medicine from the building blocks of life

Who we are

Founded in Hong Kong in 2025, Synthena is a pharmaceutical company focused on one substance: PDRN.

Our aim is to turn PDRN into medicines made without animal-derived sources, produced within a defined fragment-length range and studied across five areas of human biology.

Our research team works in Vietnam.

Two people holding the signed research agreement in front of the emblem of Nguyen Tat Thanh University
Research partner

Working with Nguyen Tat Thanh University

We study and characterise our PDRN with Nguyen Tat Thanh University in Ho Chi Minh City, our research partner.

The collaboration brings our development work together with university research capabilities in Vietnam.

Three elderly people on a park bench seen from behind at dusk; the man on the left is drawn in crayon; children play far behind
Founder

Why I started Synthena

“My grandparents opened their door to anyone who knocked. They cared for people because someone needed care, not because they expected something in return.

I founded Synthena with the same instinct: take people seriously, do the careful work, and build the kind of medicine you would want someone to build for your own family.”
Marshon NguyenMarshon NguyenFounder & Chief Executive Officer

MSc Biomedical Engineering, University of Glasgow
BEng Biomedical Engineering, International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

In November 2025, he presented this work at the Royal Society in London.

Three researchers in white coats in a bright laboratory: one holds a small flask up to the window light, one watches, one takes notes
How we work

Small on purpose

Check it twice

We repeat a measurement before we believe it.

Reproducibility is a habit, not a final step.

Keep the record

Every result keeps its history.

The measurement stays with its date, its sample, the instrument used and the person who made it.

Leave the animal out

We chose the harder route deliberately.

Our PDRN begins with plant and microbial sources rather than animal tissue. Not because they are easier to work with, but because we believe medicine can be made without depending on animals.

Five boys at a river in the Vietnamese countryside: one mid back flip from a footbridge, one balancing on its rail, one holding up a large golden fish, one swimming hard, one floating on his back
Where we are going

From Vietnam outward

Our research begins in Vietnam.

From there, we intend to develop medicines for Southeast Asia, Asia and, ultimately, patients further around the world.

Our work begins in Vietnam—a young, forward-looking country with a remarkable richness of plant life.

We carry that spirit into everything we do: the drive to keep moving forward, the courage to pursue the harder path, and the discipline and precision to do the work carefully.

Join us

Join Synthena

Put good science to work. If you would like to hear when we are looking for someone new, write to us.

Ask about open roles