Retinoic acid is a metabolite of retinol, a form of vitamin A, and exhibits various pharmacological activities in vivo, including anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. However, it is poorly water-soluble and has a short residence time in the body, which has posed significant challenges for drug development.

The research team led by Professor Dongwon Lee (Department of Polymer -Nano Science &Technology, College of Engineering) at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has attracted attention by developing a nanomedicine based on a vitamin metabolite that can address these problems.

This research was published in the August issue of Biomaterials (Impact Factor 15.3), a leading international journal, and has drawn attention from the academic community. This is the team's second contribution to the journal, following a May publication reporting a nanomedicine for the treatment of liver injury.

To resolve the existing problems associated with retinoic acid, the team introduced the new concept of a self-assembling prodrug to synthesize a novel compound. They formulated it as a nanomedicine and verified its efficacy against liver injury and cancer.

In particular, the self-assembling prodrug can dramatically overcome the low drug-loading efficiency—one of the main problems noted for conventional nanoparticle drugs—and is recognized as a new technology that could accelerate the commercialization of nanomedicines.

Furthermore, being synthesized from a vitamin metabolite, it reportedly has no side effects and can specifically target tumors, so it is expected to advance rapidly through preclinical trials and be developed as an anticancer drug.

The team currently possesses world-class expertise in the field of nanomedicine and is conducting follow-up studies in combination with radiotherapy and immunotherapy.

This research was conducted through the National Research Foundation of Korea's Advanced Radiation-Convergent Therapeutic Technology Development Project.