What is FOXO4-DRI?
FOXO4-DRI is a lab-made peptide designed to kill senescent cells, old cells that stop dividing but don’t die. “DRI” means it is built from mirror-image amino acids in reverse order, which makes it hard for the body to break down.
It was described in 2017 by Peter de Keizer’s lab. It is sold online as an anti-aging research peptide.
What does FOXO4-DRI do?
Senescent cells survive partly because a protein called FOXO4 holds p53, the cell’s self-destruct switch, in check. FOXO4-DRI breaks that hold, so p53 can trigger the senescent cell’s death while normal cells are largely spared.
Removing senescent cells is called senolysis, and treatments that do it are called senolytics.
What does the research on FOXO4-DRI show?
In the 2017 study, aged mice given FOXO4-DRI regained fur, ran farther and had better kidney markers. Later mouse studies reported effects in aging testes and lung scarring.
No completed human trials have been published, so its safety and effects in people are unknown.
FOXO4-DRI side effects and risks
Its side effects in people are unknown. It acts on the p53 pathway, which also guards against cancer, so long-term effects need careful study. Products sold online aren’t checked for purity or strength.
Is FOXO4-DRI legal?
FOXO4-DRI is not approved for human use by the FDA or any other regulator.
How do you reconstitute FOXO4-DRI?
FOXO4-DRI research vials hold a freeze-dried powder that is mixed with bacteriostatic water. The calculator above turns the vial size, the water and a dose into syringe units, and the reconstitution guide explains each step.
See the dosage section below for what is known about doses, with sources.