A four-amino-acid peptide copied from an older brain-tissue extract and proposed to change which genes a cell reads. Its founding nerve-recovery claim rests on rat work; everything else is animals or cells in a dish. Safety data are absent, neither reassuring nor alarming. Almost all evidence comes from the institute that patents and sells it. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein | Below 1.0 mg/L | Detects a systemic inflammatory or endotoxin reaction to injected material |
| Complete blood count with differential | Neutrophils 1.8–5.5 ×10⁹/L; lymphocytes 1.5–3.0 ×10⁹/L | Cheapest way to catch the immune shift that rodent data make plausible |
| Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase | ALT 10–26 U/L in men, 8–22 U/L in women; AST 10–26 U/L | Baseline liver function before an uncharacterised compound with no toxicology |
| Estimated glomerular filtration rate | Above 90 mL/min/1.73 m² | Peptide fragments and injection vehicle are cleared by the kidneys |
| Nerve conduction velocity, affected nerve | No established target for Cortagen; track change from the individual's own baseline instead | The only endpoint with any human precedent for this compound |
| Montreal Cognitive Assessment score | 26–30 of 30 | Gives the cognitive claim a measurable reference point rather than an impression |
Cadence: Baseline before the first injection; safety panel at the end of the first course (day 10 to 20), at 3 months, then every 6 to 12 months where courses repeat. Functional measures at 3 and 6 months only.