FOXO4-DRI
REC PPT-FOXO4-DRI // REV 2026-10-04 // assessment changes are logged, never silent
Experimental senolytic. Mouse data only — genuinely frontier, genuinely unproven.
What it is
A designed peptide intended to disrupt the FOXO4–p53 interaction in senescent cells.
What it does
Aims to selectively trigger apoptosis in senescent ‘zombie’ cells that accumulate with age.
Does it work?
The original mouse work was striking and widely covered. There is no human trial data. This is among the most experimental compounds in circulation and the risk profile in humans is simply unknown.
Claims vs data
Each marketing claim, tagged by what the evidence actually supports.
| Cleared senescent cells in aged mice | animal data only |
| A proven senolytic for human use | overreach |
Reference figures
Quoted from published reference material. These are not Peptuity recommendations.
molecular data — PubChem CID 167312269
The evidence, counted
Live counts from Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov.
314 publications indexed and 0 registered interventional studies — but zero randomised controlled trials indexed. The literature is almost entirely preclinical.
SRC // EUROPE PMC + CTGOV // "FOXO4-DRI" // FETCHED 2026-10-04 // 314 RECORDS
Most-cited literature
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[01]
Targeted Apoptosis of Senescent Cells Restores Tissue Homeostasis in Response to Chemotoxicity and Aging
Baar MP, Brandt RMC, Putavet DA, Klein JDD, Derks KWJ, Bourgeois BRM, · Cell 2017 · 1176 citations · DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2017.02.031
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[02]
Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic
Chaib S, Tchkonia T, Kirkland JL. · Nat Med 2022 · 879 citations · DOI 10.1038/s41591-022-01923-y
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[03]
Senescence and cancer - role and therapeutic opportunities
Schmitt CA, Wang B, Demaria M. · Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2022 · 684 citations · DOI 10.1038/s41571-022-00668-4
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[04]
Kidney fibrosis: from mechanisms to therapeutic medicines
Huang R, Fu P, Ma L. · Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023 · 678 citations · DOI 10.1038/s41392-023-01379-7
Regulatory status
Formal, dated regulatory actions.
WADA — Prohibited List 2026
Prohibited in sport — WADA S0 (substance without any health-authority approval)
Common questions
What is a senolytic?
A compound intended to selectively kill senescent cells — aged, non-dividing cells that accumulate and secrete inflammatory signals.
How strong is the mouse evidence?
The original work was striking: restored fitness, fur density and renal function in aged mice. It was also small, and human data remains zero.
What would responsible development look like?
Phase 1 safety trials before anything else. Injecting a designed apoptosis-inducing peptide with no human safety record is frontier-level risk.