Retinoic Acid News and Research

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Retinoic Acid is a nutrient that that body needs in small amounts to function and stay healthy. All-trans retinoic acid is made in the body from vitamin A and helps cells to grow and develop, especially in the embryo. A form of all-trans retinoic acid made in the laboratory is put on the skin to treat conditions such as acne and is taken by mouth to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (a fast-growing cancer in which there are too many immature blood-forming cells in the blood and bone marrow). All-trans retinoic acid is being studied in the prevention and treatment of other types of cancer. Also called ATRA, retinoic acid, tretinoin, and vitamin A acid.

Male contraception has barely changed in a century. What comes next?

A review traces more than 5,000 years of male contraception, from early penile sheaths and the development of modern condoms and vasectomy to today's search for reversible alternatives. Researchers are now testing hormonal gels, non-hormonal compounds and vas-occlusive technologies, although these approaches remain at different stages of preclinical and clinical development.

15 Sep 2026

Gut infection leaves long-lasting immune ‘memories’ at the brain’s borders in mice

In mice, intestinal infections reshaped dural CD4+ T-cell populations and seeded the brain’s outer meningeal border with antigen-specific memory cells that persisted for months and mounted rapid recall responses to bloodborne antigens. Oral priming was associated with reduced Salmonella spread to the brain and modest cross-protection in an engineered shared-antigen Candida model, although the researchers could not definitively prove that dural CD4+ T cells alone caused the protection.

9 Sep 2026

Vitamin A derivative prevents immune cell exhaustion in brain tumors

Immune cells can become exhausted after prolonged exposure to cancer, gradually losing their ability to attack tumor cells.

8 Sep 2026

Researchers uncover molecular pathway driving craniosynostosis

Craniosynostosis is a congenital developmental disorder in which the skull's cranial sutures fuse prematurely.

28 Aug 2026

Folic acid relies on vitamin A pathway to prevent birth defects

For decades, we've known that folic acid can help prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, but we haven't fully understood how it does it.

11 Aug 2026

Risk-adapted frameworks reshape pediatric neuroblastoma care

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor outside the brain in children younger than five years old and accounts for about 15% of pediatric cancer deaths.

6 Aug 2026

Investigational drug ameliorates neuronal DNA damage and inflammation in Alzheimer's model

Accumulation of DNA damage in the brain's neurons may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

8 Jul 2026

Reversing macrophage metabolism may improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are among the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

1 Jul 2026

Harvard scientists create first detailed map of smell receptors

For most of us, the sense of smell is an integral part of everyday life; it plays a critical role in providing information about our surroundings, alerting us to potential dangers, enhancing our sense of taste, and evoking emotions and memories.

28 Apr 2026

Gut-derived metabolites regulate immune cells in complex ways

Published on March 23, 2026, in Volume 2, article number 18 of the journal Immunity & Inflammation, the review begins by systematically outlining the sources and synthetic pathways of immune-relevant microbial metabolites, including bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, amino acid derivatives, vitamins, trimethylamine/trimethylamine N-oxide, and odd-chain fatty acids.

31 Mar 2026

Topical cream activates immune response to suppress skin cancer growth

A topical cream activated the skin's immune defenses and suppressed tumor growth in two preclinical models of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), one of the most common cancers in the world, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

12 Mar 2026

Vitamin A and thyroid hormones in the retina shape fetal vision

Humans develop sharp vision during early fetal development thanks to an interplay between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found.

13 Feb 2026

New publication describes the chemical journey of non-hormonal male birth control pill

A newly published manuscript authored by Dr. Gunda Georg, YourChoice Therapeutics and Columbia University Medical Center describes the chemical journey of YCT-529, a non-hormonal male birth control pill, and the promising molecular science behind it.

12 Jan 2026

Vitamin A derivative suppresses immune response and cancer vaccine efficacy

Scientists at the Princeton University Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have identified novel mechanisms by which a metabolic derivative of vitamin A-all-trans retinoic acid-compromises both the body's normal anti-cancer immune response and, in a different context, the efficacy of a promising type of cancer vaccine.

5 Jan 2026

New findings show why the human intestine uniquely presents gluten to T cells

Human intestinal M cells function as dendritic cell-like antigen-presenting cells, displaying constitutive MHC-II activity and specialized machinery for processing gluten. Their ability to deamidate and present gliadin peptides positions them as key initiators of immune responses relevant to coeliac disease.

11 Dec 2025