Cortagen: The Synthesised Answer to a Brain Extract
A four-amino-acid sequence aimed at cortical tissue — the defined molecule standing behind the older brain extract Cortexin.
What Is Cortagen?
Cortagen is a synthesised tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, directed at the cerebral cortex. It belongs to the second generation of the Khavinson family: where Cortexin is an extract pulled from brain tissue and is therefore a mixture, Cortagen is one molecule with a written sequence that can be manufactured to specification and checked analytically.
Extract and synthetic, in plain language: imagine trying to reproduce a soup someone else made. You could send a sample of the soup itself — that is the extract, and it certainly contains whatever made it work, but no two batches will be quite alike. Or you could write down the recipe: four named ingredients, exact quantities. Cortexin is the sample of soup. Cortagen is the recipe. Only the second can be reproduced identically, and only the second can carry a meaningful purity figure.
What the Research Examines
Published work examines Cortagen in the same territory as Cortexin — neuroprotection under stress conditions, and effects on markers of neuronal survival and recovery in animal and cell models. Some studies have also reported effects on peripheral nerve tissue.
The research is preclinical and originates largely from the institute that developed the compound. It holds no regulatory approval in any jurisdiction, unlike Cortexin, which is registered in Russia for specific neurological indications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compiled by the Southern Pacific Labs research team. Last updated July 2026.
Published References
- Khavinson VK, Malinin VV. “Gerontological Aspects of Genome Peptide Regulation.” Karger AG, Basel, 2005. Source
- Anisimov VN, Khavinson VKh. “Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects.” Biogerontology, 2010. PubMed
- Khavinson VKh. “Peptides and Ageing.” Neuro endocrinology letters, 2002. PubMed
- Fedoreyeva LI, Kireev II, Khavinson VKh, et al. “Penetration of short fluorescence-labeled peptides into the nucleus in HeLa cells and in vitro specific interaction of the peptides with deoxyribooligonucleotides and DNA.” Biochemistry. Biokhimiia, 2011. PubMed
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The whole Khavinson system — one peptide per organ, and the honest state of the evidence.
Read guide →Brain Peptide ExtractThe first-generation brain extract Cortagen was developed alongside.
Read guide →Bioregulator TripeptideAnother synthesised bioregulator directed at brain and CNS tissue.
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