Research watchlist — monitored longevity terms

Known terms with clear longevity relevance or meaningful public claims, but insufficient human evidence, product specification or clinical relevance for a robust appraisal.

• Follistatin gene therapy — Muscle-growth and frailty research with major delivery, durability and safety questions. Reassess when: Controlled human outcomes, vector safety and evidence beyond muscle mass.
• TERT / telomerase gene therapy — A direct telomere narrative with unresolved cancer, targeting and long-term control questions. Reassess when: Credible human trials with clinical outcomes and long cancer surveillance.
• Klotho therapy — A longevity-associated protein studied as a biomarker and possible therapeutic target. Reassess when: Human target engagement, safety and functional outcomes.
• Mitochondrial transfer — Experimental transfer of mitochondria or mitochondrial material into injured tissue. Reassess when: Reproducible delivery, persistence, immune safety and controlled human outcomes.
• Topical rapamycin — Local dermatological research should not be extrapolated to systemic longevity. Reassess when: Larger controlled skin studies, systemic absorption and long-term safety.
• Plasmalogen infusions — Biomarker biology and commercial replacement claims currently outrun clinical evidence. Reassess when: Product-specific pharmacology and meaningful neurological or functional outcomes.
• Cerebrolysin for longevity — A disease-treatment literature is sometimes repackaged as general cognitive maintenance. Reassess when: Healthy-population trials, transparent product standards and durable functional outcomes.
• Retatrutide microdosing — An investigational obesity drug is already discussed outside its trial context. Reassess when: Regulatory approval, labelled population, long-term outcomes and evidence for any proposed low-dose regimen.
• GLP-1 microdosing in healthy people — Benefits in indicated high-risk populations do not establish a favourable benefit-risk balance in lean healthy people. Reassess when: Trials of the exact dose, population and outcomes claimed — including lean mass and discontinuation effects.
• Peptide bioregulators — A broad family of organ-specific anti-ageing claims with difficult-to-audit evidence and products. Reassess when: Independent replication, traceable products, registered trials and clinically relevant outcomes.
• GDF11 / GDF8 manipulation — Age-related circulating-factor biology remains scientifically active but is not a consumer treatment. Reassess when: Assay-specific replication, tissue-specific effects and controlled human interventions.