Thymogen
Glu-Trp · EW dipeptide · α-glutamyl-tryptophan · Тимоген
Thymogen is synthetic Glu-Trp (EW, α-glutamyl-tryptophan) - an immune dipeptide with a real CIS pharmaceutical footprint (intranasal drops in Russian practice). It is not Thymulin (the zinc nonapeptide FTS) and not Thymalin (extract).
Use-case scores
0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.
- Longevity / aging3.5/10
Khavinson-school tissue peptide. Single-lab concentration after haircut. Not a Western Phase 3 geroprotector.
- Immune3.5/10
Thymus/immune organ map in the school. Not Zadaxin and not a US immune-deficiency drug.
Compound card
- Sequence
- EW
- Class
- Khavinson cytogen (EW)
- Formula
- C16H19N3O5
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Thymogen (Glu-Trp) is a synthetic dipeptide thymic bioregulator developed by Vladimir Khavinson. It restores T-cell differentiation, NK cell activity, and immune-endocrine balance. Clinical studies show improved immune response in elderly patients and reduced immune senescence markers.
Source: PMID: 15677927
Khavinson map
Canonical 41Used in bioregulator stacks
Manufacturer-style organ combinations - not FDA protocols. Every name is a live leaf.
The Khavinson school
Vladimir Khatskelevich Khavinson (1946–2024) spent five decades at what became the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology arguing a simple, stubborn idea: aging is, in part, a failure of tissue-specific peptide signals, and those signals can be restored. The first products were not “peptides” in the Instagram sense. They were Cytamins - polypeptide fractions isolated from a named organ of young animals. Later commercial refinements of those fractions are sold as Cytomaxes (Cytomed / NPCRIZ): still mixtures, still oral capsules, still defined by the source organ rather than a single sequence. When the group identified short active motifs inside those mixtures, they synthesized them as Cytogens - di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides with a one-letter code (KE, AEDG, KED, EDR, KEDP, and so on).
That three-layer stack is the whole map. Cytamin / pharmaceutical extracts (Thymalin, Epithalamin, Cortexin, Retinalamin, Prostatilen) are the clinic-era injectables registered in the former Soviet pharmacopeia. Cytomaxes are the capsule complexes Cytomed still lists as a 21-SKU organ line. Cytogens are the defined synthetics. English-language educators, including Brenden Henry’s public writing at Peptide Science Institute, add a further commercial distinction - later analog SKUs (N-acetyl, amidate, “V2” complexes) sold as more stable or more diverse than the original Cytomed lots. That last layer is a product taxonomy, not a Khavinson paper. We describe it so readers are not gaslit by three bottles with the same organ name. We do not reproduce paid Peptide Mastery protocols, Precision Cell Method language, or anyone else’s course IP.
Full Cytamin → Cytomax → Cytogen map, literature limits, and how we counted 41
The mechanism Khavinson published is epigenetic, not receptor-agonist in the GLP-1 sense. Short peptides are claimed to enter nuclei, interact with DNA/histones, and reopen tissue-specific transcription that condensed with age (heterochromatin → euchromatin). Reviews in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine and Neuroendocrinology Letters (PMID 14523363, 15677927, 23888677) are the citable core. Complementary GI pharmacology is not mystical: di- and tripeptides are PEPT1/LAT substrates, which is why oral capsules are even a conversation. What is not established in Western Phase 3 programs is organ-by-organ disease treatment, telomere reversal as a clinical endpoint, or the manufacturer claim that Cytomax is “a third stronger” than Cytogen. Those are NPCRIZ marketing sentences.
Khavinson’s group published hundreds of papers, many in Russian, many in the same journal family. That is a real literature. It is also a literature with limited independent Western replication, small n, and a habit of using one review PMID as a stamp on every organ. On this site a leaf earns its organ story, its Cytomax↔Cytogen pair, its sequence if it has one, and an honest sentence about what has not been shown. Reconstitution math belongs on cytogens sold as vials. Cytomax capsules do not get a fake 5 mg vial.
The 41 we treat as canonical are the 21 Cytomaxes on the public e-peptide/Cytomed list, the 12 Cytogens on that same commercial line (including Vesilut, which Western catalogs often drop), plus eight historically load-bearing molecules that sit beside the capsule SKUs: Epitalon, Vilon, Thymogen, Livagen, Cortagen, Prostamax, Thymalin, and Epithalamin. Honluten, Cortexin, Retinalamin, Prostatilen, Thymulin, N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate, Pinalex, and the GPL Man / GPL Femme kits are covered as adjacent - same school or same storefront, not padded into a fake 41.
Public English-language teaching (including Brenden Henry at peptidescienceinstitute.com) is cited as context, not copied. Paid Peptide Mastery / Peptide Salvation text stays theirs.
History of this molecule
EW is one of the few Khavinson-adjacent dipeptides that behaved like a drug product (immunomodulator drops) rather than only a research-chem vial. That does not make it FDA-approved in the US. It does mean this leaf has a different regulatory texture than Cartalax.
Thymulin (FTS) is a nine-residue zinc-dependent thymic hormone from a French discovery path. Different molecule. Our library keeps both. Do not merge them because the first five letters match.
Vilon is KE. Thymogen is EW. Two dipeptides, one organ aisle.
Caveats
A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Immune cytogens sit in a Russian experimental-gerontology literature with limited Western replication. “Oral bioavailability because PEPT1” is real peptide-transport biology; it is not proof this SKU treats the organ disease. Gray-market identity is a live problem - HPLC is the only way to know the vial is the sequence on the label.
Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks
Research Use Cases
- ✓Secondary immunodeficiency (post-infection, post-surgery)
- ✓Chronic bacterial and viral infection adjunct
- ✓Post-radiation immune recovery
- ✓Seasonal immune support (cold/flu prevention)
Dosing
| Phase | Dose | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khavinson Protocol | 1–2 capsules/day or 1–2 mg SC | Daily for 10–30 day courses, 1-2x per year | Part of Khavinson thymic complex. Can follow or precede Thymalin. Often combined with Epitalon. |
Administration
Thymogen: Cytomed EW capsule vs Research EW vial vs CIS intranasal drops
- Oral cytogen SKU exists. No reconstitution.
- Dipeptide oral story is stronger than tetrapeptide cytogens.
- Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
- Vladonix is the thymus Cytomax. Swallowing that kit is not a Thymogen dose.
- Do not dose capsules from a dropper insert or from a 10 mg Thymalin ampoule.
- US approval: no. CIS immunomodulator history stays in CIS.
- Defined dipeptide. Vial math is legitimate when the bottle is powder.
- Separable from Thymalin extract and from Thymulin (FTS nonapeptide).
- Food does not change the shot.
- US research cake ≠ Cytomed capsule ≠ CIS drops. Three bottles, three doses.
- Not Thymulin. Zinc-dependent FTS biology does not apply to EW.
- Infection treatment this is not. Keep antivirals/antibiotics in their lane.
- This is the presentation that made EW behave like a drug product in CIS practice.
- Keeps the dropper from being flattened into a US vial protocol.
- CIS immunomodulator history does not transfer as a US BLA.
- Not Thymalin IM extract and not Thymulin FTS.
- Not a pneumonia protocol.
Timeline
Who it is for
Immune Senescence / T-Cell Immunity
LowThymic dipeptide. Restores T-cell and NK function. Khavinson protocol component.
Reconstitution
| Vial | Water | Concentration | Example dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyophilized cytogen (if the SKU is a vial) | Follow the COA fill | Do the math | Capsules skip this step. Cytomax complexes are not this molecule. |
Change vial size or water volume? Open the reconstitution calculator.
Safety & Considerations
Research peptide in Western markets. Extensively used in Russian clinical protocols. Russian clinic history is not a US safety NDA.
Regulatory & Legal Status
Not currently on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Policies may change - verify before competition.
Research Chemical
US Compounding: Not eligible / not available
⚠️ This information is for educational purposes only and may not reflect the most current regulatory updates. Always verify with official FDA, WADA, and jurisdiction-specific sources before use.
Limits of current evidence
- A defined sequence is not an FDA indication.
- Gray-market identity is a live problem. HPLC beats a blog table.
- Do not paste a sibling cytogen’s papers onto this SKU.
- This site will not treat the named organ disease from a peptide page.
Verdict
Thymogen is the synthetic EW cytogen for Thymus / immune. Khavinson’s group published in this family. That is a concentrated literature, not a Western Phase 3. Capsules and vials are different SKUs.
Interactions & Contraindications
Well tolerated. Intranasal spray form is OTC in Russia - excellent safety profile. Avoid in autoimmune conditions. Standard course: 3-10 days. Can be combined with conventional antibiotics/antivirals for infection management.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Thymogen (mild thymic dipeptide, OTC) can serve as maintenance therapy between Thymosin Alpha-1 cycles (more potent, prescription-level) - graduated immune support.
Thymogen stimulates thymulin production from thymic epithelial cells - the two peptides are mechanistically linked, with Thymogen acting upstream to enhance endogenous thymulin secretion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thymogen vs Thymalin vs Thymulin vs Vilon?▼
US approved?▼
Sequence?▼
Capsule, vial, or drops?▼
Infection treatment?▼
How does Thymogen differ from Thymalin?▼
References
- Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2005). PMID: 15677927
- Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI “Short peptides regulate gene expression.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2013). PMID: 23888677
- Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “Peptide regulation of aging: from experimental studies to clinical practice.” Advances in Gerontology (2003). PMID: 14523363
- Khavinson VKh et al. “"Thymic dipeptide Thymogen modulates neuroendocrine and immune function".” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (1997). PMID: 9364573
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Get Thymogen from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review