Reviewed & approved by Dr. Nova Reyes · Last checked 2026-10-25. ← Back to Evidence Library
Crystagen: what the evidence says
At a glance
What it is: a synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Pro, "EDP") from V. Kh. Khavinson's "peptide bioregulator" program, sold as an immune and thymus bioregulator. Unknown The PubMed abstract that names Crystagen does not state its sequence. R1
What the evidence says: no human trials found. One developer-led study of aging spleen reports that Crystagen activated B-cell markers but did not affect cell renewal. R1 A modeling paper predicts EDP binds DNA. R2
Biggest risks: unknown. No human safety data were found. Unknown Gray-market products add quality risks.
Rating
| Human Human evidence | No human data |
| Animal Animal / lab evidence | Reported (developer-led): one aging-spleen study, one modeling study R1, R2 |
| Regulatory | Not FDA-approved (no Drugs@FDA entry found) R4 · Russia: registration status UNVERIFIED · WADA: not named on the 2026 List R3; S0 status UNVERIFIED |
| Established human dose | None. Study details lists what studies used where reported |
Evidence verdict: Human: No human data Card verdict: No human data (immune claims rest on rodent and lab cell studies only) Card note: Rodent and lab studies only; no human trials found.
This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.
Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source
About the evidence (developer-led): most of this literature comes from V. Kh. Khavinson's St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology and allied Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian groups. Many papers are short, Russian-language, and not independently repeated. Read the findings as the developers' own reports.
What is it?
Crystagen is sold as a 3-amino-acid peptide. The developers propose that it supports immune function as tissues age. R1 That idea is the developers' hypothesis and has not been confirmed independently. Unknown Related pages: Thymalin, Vilon.
Does it work?
- Animal Aging spleen: Crystagen activated B-cell markers but did not affect spleen cell renewal. The abstract does not say whether this was in animals or cell culture. R1
- Animal Computer modeling: EDP was predicted to bind the "agat" DNA sequence. R2
- Unknown Human immune or aging studies: none found in PubMed. UNVERIFIED whether Russian-language reports exist outside PubMed.
- Unknown Human clinical trials: none found.
Is it safe?
- Unknown No human safety data found.
- Unknown Long-term effects unknown.
Gray-market "research use only" Crystagen: extra risks
Unknown contents. Vials or capsules sold online as "research use only" are not made under drug-quality rules, so identity, strength and sterility are unknown. This is a general caution; we have not found independent testing data for this product. Unknown Vendor claims about effects in people are marketing, not evidence. Unknown
What we don't know
- Unknown Whether it does anything in people
- Unknown Whether a short peptide like this survives digestion or reaches tissues when swallowed or injected
- Unknown What is actually in a gray-market vial or capsule sold under this name
Is it legal?
US: not FDA-approved; no application found in Drugs@FDA data (Oct 25, 2026). R4 Russia: UNVERIFIED whether registered as a medicine in GRLS or sold only as a dietary supplement. EU, UK, Japan, China: UNVERIFIED not checked against EMA, MHRA, PMDA or NMPA. WADA: not named on the 2026 Prohibited List R3; S0 (non-approved substances) would apply if it holds no current approval anywhere, which is UNVERIFIED.
Study details
These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.
R1 Animal Lab/animal: aging spleen (Chervyakova 2014)
| Study | People / model | Route | Amount used | Follow-up | Reported | Side effects / limitations | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chervyakova 2014 | Aging spleen (model not in abstract) | Not in abstract | Not in abstract | Not in abstract | B-cell activation; no effect on cell renewal | Russian-language; developer-led | PMID 28976144 |
R2 Animal Computer model: DNA docking (Khavinson 2016)
| Study | People / model | Route | Amount used | Follow-up | Reported | Side effects / limitations | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khavinson 2016 | Docking models of 19 short peptides with DNA | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | EDP predicted to bind "agat" DNA sequence | Modeling only; developer-led | PMID 27909961 |
Full reference list (PubMed entries checked Oct 25, 2026)
- R1 Chervyakova NA, et al. [Molecular aspects of immunoprotective activity of peptides in spleen during the ageing process]. Adv Gerontol. 2014. PMID 28976144
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R2 Khavinson VK, et al. Short Peptides Regulate Gene Expression. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016. PMID 27909961
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R3 WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List (in force 1 January 2026). https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list
- R4 FDA. Drugs@FDA data (openFDA drugsfda endpoint), searched "crystagen" Oct 25, 2026: no application found. https://api.fda.gov/drug/drugsfda.json?search=products.active_ingredients.name:crystagen · Drugs@FDA: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/
Disclaimer
This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use Crystagen. Talk to a clinician you trust before using any drug, and report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).
Approved for Adam Greene by Dr. Nova Reyes, 2026-10-25.