Semax

A synthetic heptapeptide derived from the ACTH 4-10 sequence, developed at the Russian Academy of Sciences from the 1980s. Originally a neuroprotective agent for stroke recovery, and a registered pharmaceutical in Russia for 25 years while essentially unknown in Western markets.

Upregulates BDNF and NGF, the brain's primary neuronal survival signals. Modulates dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways. Inhibits enkephalin-degrading enzymes. The intranasal route is studied for direct olfactory-to-CNS delivery bypassing the blood-brain barrier.

Semax was built to keep brain cells alive after a stroke by triggering the brain to produce its own growth factors. Researchers then noticed it appeared to sharpen focus in healthy subjects. The West had no idea it existed until the biohacking community discovered it around 2012.

• BDNF and NGF expression
• Infarct volume in ischaemia models
• Water maze memory and learning performance
• Attention and reaction time metrics
• Dopamine and serotonin turnover
• Cortisol and stress response markers

• Neuroprotection in ischaemic stroke, infarct volume reduction
• BDNF and NGF upregulation
• Cognitive function, memory and learning water maze protocols
• Anxiolytic effects and stress response modulation
• Attention and focus performance
• Stroke recovery and neuroplasticity
• Dopaminergic pathway modulation

Developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, led by Nikolai Myasoedov, as part of a classified Soviet-era neuroscience programme. Registered as a pharmaceutical in Russia in the early 1990s and unknown in the West until circa 2012-2015.

Men and women 25-55 focused on cognitive performance, focus, neuroprotection and stress resilience. Students, executives and high performers.

• Prepare as a nasal solution for intranasal research delivery.
• Reconstitute lyophilised powder with sterile saline.
• Very short half-life, administration timing is critical.
• Store lyophilised at -20C, nasal solution at 4C up to 14 days.
• Protect all forms from light.

• Very short half-life demands precise consistent protocol timing.
• Intranasal route studied as more efficient CNS delivery.
• Russian clinical literature is the primary evidence base.
• Often paired with Selank for combined nootropic and anxiolytic protocols.