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.

UM researchers explain signaling systems that tissues use to communicate at the head-trunk region

Think about the way our bodies are assembled during early development and ask: How do neighboring cells know that they are supposed to become a nerve or a bone cell and how do these tissues find the correct place and alignment? Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) are answering these crucial questions.

5 Nov 2014

Clementia initiates Phase 2 extension study of palovarotene in FOP patients

Clementia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the initiation of a Phase 2 extension study of palovarotene in patients with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a rare, severely disabling genetic disease characterized by painful, recurrent episodes of soft tissue swelling (flare-ups) and new abnormal bone formation.

27 Oct 2014

Lactobacillus-containing probiotics can improve lupus symptoms

Lactobacillus species, commonly seen in yogurt cultures, correlate, in the guts of mouse models, with mitigation of lupus symptoms, while Lachnospiraceae, a type of Clostridia, correlate with worsening, according to research published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

21 Oct 2014

AEG-1 protein blocks effects of retinoic acid in leukemia and liver cancer

Retinoic acid is a form of vitamin A that is used to treat and help prevent the recurrence of a variety of cancers, but for some patients the drug is not effective.

14 Aug 2014

Researchers receive $435K to study how environmental factors affect genes that cause autism

Over the last decade, autism research has been primarily focused on finding genes that may "cause" autism. However, little information exists on gene-environment interactions that may increase risk for autism.

5 Aug 2014

Galderma's trifarotene molecule gets FDA Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of congenital ichthyosis

Galderma announces that the U.S. FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation status for the company's trifarotene molecule for the treatment of congenital ichthyosis. Based on this decision, Galderma plans to implement a clinical development plan, reinforcing its commitment to exploring new treatment options for rare diseases, as well as meeting the needs of all patients with skin diseases over the course of their lives.

2 Jul 2014

Research provides unique insight into lncRNAs that regulate lung development

It's a long way from DNA to RNA to protein, and only about two percent of a person's genome is eventually converted into proteins.

19 Jun 2014

Researchers demonstrate potential of retinoic acid in preventing type 2 diabetes complications

At a time when obesity, type 2 diabetes, and their complications are a veritable epidemic worldwide, researchers at the University of Montreal and CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) recently demonstrated the potential of retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of Vitamin A, in treating obesity and type 2 diabetes and preventing their cardiovascular complications.

17 Jun 2014

Study reveals loss of function of gene RARRES3 in breast cancer cells promotes metastasis to lung

A study published today in EMBO Molecular Medicine reveals that the loss of function of the gene RARRES3 in breast cancer cells promotes metastasis to the lung.

28 May 2014

Sex cell determination requires maintenance throughout life

The way in which the sex of an organism is determined may require lifelong maintenance, finds new research from the University of Minnesota.

23 May 2014

Researchers explore hair cells of inner ear to reverse hearing loss

The ability to discern pitch - to hear the difference between "cat," "bat" and "hat," for example - hinges on remarkable gradations in specialized cells within the inner ear.

21 May 2014

Retinoic acid helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells

A derivative of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid, found abundantly in sweet potato and carrots, helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Oncology. The research could help explain why some clinical studies have been unable to see a benefit of vitamin A on cancer: the vitamin doesn't appear to change the course of full-blown cancer, only pre-cancerous cells, and only works at a very narrow dose.

31 Mar 2014

Vitamin A may play key role in combating TB, says study

Tuberculosis is a major global problem, affecting 2 billion people worldwide and causing an estimated 2 million deaths annually. Western countries are once again tackling the disease, with recent outbreaks in Los Angeles and London.

27 Feb 2014

First evidence of link between prenatal vitamin A deficiency and postnatal asthma

A team of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) investigators led by Wellington V. Cardoso, MD, PhD, has found the first direct evidence of a link between prenatal vitamin A deficiency and postnatal airway hyperresponsiveness, a hallmark of asthma.

13 Feb 2014

Findings could open door to development of new therapies for treatment of prostate cancer

SCIENTISTS at the University of York have discovered how the prostate gland develops for the first time, according to research published today (Thursday, February 6) in Stem Cell Reports.

7 Feb 2014

Vitamin A may help keep immune system under control for autoimmune and transplant patients

The same form of Vitamin A used by teenagers to combat acne might offer benefits that are more than skin deep. That's because an international team of researchers have found that it may also help keep the immune system under control for people with autoimmune disorders or those who have received transplants.

31 Jan 2014

LA BioMed receives grant to study role of serum Vitamin A in people with multiple sclerosis

Some 2.5 million people around the world have multiple sclerosis (MS), a potentially debilitating disease in which the body's immune system destroys the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerves.

6 Jan 2014

Scientists discover critical regulator for directing pluripotent stem cells to make blood-forming stem cells

Stem cell scientists have moved one step closer to producing blood-forming stem cells in a Petri dish by identifying a key regulator controlling their formation in the early embryo, shows research published online today in Cell.

27 Sep 2013

Study: Cell cycle-related genes play important role in formation of neural tube defects

In the field of developmental neurobiology, accurate and ordered regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis are crucial factors contributing to the normal formation of the neural tube.

16 Aug 2013

Trinity researchers reveal CHD5 protein acts as tumor suppressor in nervous system development

CHD5 has previously been proposed as a tumour suppressor, acting as a brake that prevents healthy cells from developing into cancer cells. But the part played by the protein in healthy tissue, and whether this role is important for its ability to counter tumour growth, has remained largely uncharted.

14 Aug 2013