Follistatin gene therapy introduces a gene that causes the body to produce excess follistatin, a protein that binds to and inhibits myostatin, a key negative regulator of muscle growth. This leads to significant muscle hypertrophy and is being explored to combat age-related sarcopenia, a primary driver of frailty. While effective in animal models, its application for human healthspan is purely experimental.
Verdict
Extremely high-risk, irreversible, and unproven for healthspan; avoid outside clinical trials.
HEALTHSPAN IMPACT
Experimental
RISK LEVEL
Very High
EVIDENCE GRADE
C
MONTHLY COST
$0 - $0
Protocol
- A single administration of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector carrying the follistatin gene.
- Dosing is highly experimental, measured in vector genomes per kilogram (vg/kg), and only performed in clinical trials.
Flags
- This is an irreversible, experimental genetic modification.
- Potential for severe immune response to the AAV viral vector.
- Long-term consequences of systemic myostatin inhibition are unknown.
- Risk of contamination or incorrect dosing from unregulated, non-clinical sources is extremely high.
- Not approved by any major regulatory agency for any indication.