NovaWell.
Thymalin research vial
Appearance
White to off-white lyophilized powder
Current batch
THYMA202602
Immune · Immunology / Immunosenescence and bioregulator research

Thymalin

Khavinson-family polypeptide complex extracted from bovine thymus, studied for immunomodulatory effects in aging

Thymalin (10mg vials)

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Specifications

Peptide complexYes
SourceBovine (calf) thymus
Component rangeLow-molecular-weight polypeptide fraction; active short peptides identified include Glu-Trp (EW) and Lys-Glu (KE)
AppearanceWhite to off-white lyophilized powder
SolubilitySodium chloride 0.9%; bacteriostatic water; sterile water
Storage (lyophilized)2–8°C, protected from light
Storage (reconstituted)2–8°C, use within 21 days
Half-lifeShort systemic half-life reported; predominantly cleared by blood proteases
Current batch purity99.71% (HPLC) · THYMA202602

Thymalin is a polypeptide complex extracted from bovine (calf) thymus, originally developed by Vladimir Khavinson, Vyacheslav Morozov, and colleagues at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. Unlike Thymosin Alpha-1 — a single chemically defined 28-amino-acid peptide — Thymalin is not a single molecule but a low-molecular-weight polypeptide fraction whose active short-peptide components have subsequently been identified to include the dipeptides Glu-Trp (EW) and Lys-Glu (KE). Researchers evaluating Thymalin should note that the published English-language literature originates almost entirely from a single research lineage (the Khavinson group and its direct collaborators), and independent replication outside this lineage is limited. Thymalin has been studied in Russian clinical settings for immunosenescence in elderly populations and, more recently, in older patients with severe COVID-19. NovaWell supplies Thymalin as a lyophilized polypeptide complex, third-party tested for conformance, for laboratory research use only.

Research Studies

The following studies are summarized for educational purposes only. Inclusion does not imply any human use; all referenced research was conducted in clinical settings outside the United States, in animal models, or as in vitro work. Both citations originate from the Khavinson research lineage at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology — a factual context relevant when evaluating the breadth of independent evidence.

Research study

Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life

Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2003 Jun-Aug;24(3-4):233–240. View source ↗

Scientific findings

This long-term clinical observation, conducted jointly by the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology and the Institute of Gerontology of the Ukrainian Academy of Medical Sciences in Kiev, followed 266 elderly and older persons over a 6–8 year period, with the thymic polypeptide complex Thymalin and the pineal complex Epithalamin administered during the first 2–3 years of observation. The authors reported that the bioregulators were associated with normalization of cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous system indices, alongside a 2.0–2.4-fold decrease in acute respiratory disease incidence relative to control. The observed mortality rate during follow-up was reduced 2.0–2.1-fold in the Thymalin group, 1.6–1.8-fold in the Epithalamin group, and 2.5-fold in the combination group. A separate subgroup that received Thymalin plus Epithalamin annually for 6 years showed a 4.1-fold reduction in mortality versus control. The paper is indexed in PubMed as a clinical trial. As with all foundational Thymalin literature, this work originates from the Khavinson research lineage, and the trial methodology and outcome adjudication should be evaluated by researchers in that context.

Plain English

This is the most-cited long-term observational study on Thymalin. Researchers at two institutes in Russia and Ukraine followed 266 elderly people for six to eight years, giving some of them Thymalin (a thymus-derived peptide complex), some of them Epithalamin (a pineal-derived peptide complex), some both, and some nothing. They tracked how often the participants got sick, how their organ systems performed on standard health measures, and how many of them died during the observation window. They reported that the groups receiving the peptide complexes had fewer respiratory infections and lower mortality across the follow-up period. Researchers should weigh this finding against the fact that the work was conducted and published by the same research group that developed Thymalin, and that the published Western literature contains very few independent replications.

Research study

Peptide Drug Thymalin Regulates Immune Status in Severe COVID-19 Older Patients

Kuznik BI, Khavinson VKh, Shapovalov KG, Lukyanov SA, Rudakov NV, Smolyakov YN, Davydov SO, Stepanov AV, Tsybikov NN. Advances in Gerontology. 2021;11(4):368–376. DOI: 10.1134/S2079057021040068. View source ↗

Scientific findings

This clinical observation evaluated Thymalin as an adjunct to standard inpatient therapy in older patients with severe COVID-19. Patients receiving Thymalin in addition to standard care (n = 36) were compared with a standard-therapy control arm. The authors reported faster recovery from lymphopenia, more rapid normalization of C-reactive protein, and a slower decline in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers over a 104-day follow-up window (a reported 21% decrease in the Thymalin-plus-standard arm versus 53% in the standard-only arm). The discussion frames Thymalin's reported activity in terms of its low-molecular-weight short-peptide components (notably KE and EW), which the authors describe as binding DNA and histone proteins and modulating the expression of cytokine genes implicated in COVID-19 pathology (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α). The study was conducted in Russia outside the FDA regulatory framework, was not blinded, and originates from the same research lineage that developed Thymalin; researchers should weigh those design and provenance factors when evaluating the report.

Plain English

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Khavinson group and Russian clinical collaborators looked at whether adding Thymalin to standard hospital care for severe COVID-19 in older patients would change how the immune system responded. They tracked lymphocyte counts (a measure of immune-cell numbers), C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels over more than three months. They reported that the group receiving Thymalin alongside standard care recovered immune-cell counts faster, had inflammation markers come down faster, and held onto their antibody levels longer than the standard-care-only group. Researchers should note that the study was conducted in Russia outside US regulatory oversight, was not a double-blind randomized trial, and was produced by the same research group that developed the peptide complex.

Storage & handling

Lyophilized (unreconstituted): Store at 2–8°C, protected from light. Stable for 24 months under correct storage. Avoid repeated temperature cycling. Unlike many synthetic peptides, the Thymalin polypeptide complex is conventionally stored at refrigerated rather than frozen temperatures per the original product literature; -20°C storage is also acceptable.

Reconstituted: Dissolve in 0.9% sodium chloride or bacteriostatic water (typically 1–2 mL per 10 mg vial, depending on the research protocol). Store reconstituted solution at 2–8°C and use within 21 days. Do not freeze reconstituted solution. Protect from light.

Vial format: 10 mg lyophilized polypeptide complex, vacuum-sealed glass vial with rubber stopper and aluminum crimp.

Shipping: Lyophilized Thymalin is stable at ambient temperature for the typical 1–3 day shipping window. Cold-pack shipping available on request.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thymalin?+

Thymalin is a low-molecular-weight polypeptide complex extracted from bovine (calf) thymus, developed by Vladimir Khavinson, Vyacheslav Morozov, and colleagues at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is not a single defined peptide but a fraction containing multiple short peptides; subsequent work by the same group has identified the dipeptides Glu-Trp (EW) and Lys-Glu (KE) among its biologically active components. Thymalin is used as a registered immunomodulator in Russia and is studied in immunosenescence research. It is not approved by the FDA, EMA, or any other major regulatory body, and NovaWell supplies it strictly as a research compound.

What is the difference between Thymalin and Thymosin Alpha-1?+

Thymalin and Thymosin Alpha-1 are both derived from thymus tissue but are chemically and conceptually different products. Thymosin Alpha-1 is a single, chemically defined 28-amino-acid peptide (Ac-SDAAVDTSSEITTKDLKEKKEVVEEAEN) with a known molecular weight of ~3108 g/mol; it can be produced by solid-phase synthesis to a specific sequence and verified by mass spectrometry as a single molecular species. Thymalin, by contrast, is a polypeptide complex — a low-molecular-weight fraction of bovine thymus extract containing multiple short peptides. The two compounds have different research lineages (Goldstein group, US, for Tα1; Khavinson group, Russia, for Thymalin), different analytical profiles, and different regulatory statuses internationally. See our Thymosin Alpha-1 page for that compound's primary literature.

What is the Khavinson bioregulator family?+

The "Khavinson bioregulators" are a family of peptide products developed beginning in the 1970s at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The first generation, called Cytomaxes, are polypeptide complexes extracted from specific tissues — Thymalin (thymus), Cortexin (cerebral cortex), Epithalamin (pineal gland), and others. The second generation, called Cytogens, are synthetic short-chain peptides with defined sequences whose structures were identified through fractionation work on the Cytomaxes — Thymogen (Glu-Trp), Vilon (Lys-Glu), Epitalon (AEDG), Pinealon (EDR), and others. Thymalin is a first-generation Cytomax. The English-indexed literature on this entire family originates predominantly from the Khavinson group and its direct collaborators, and independent replication by unrelated laboratories is limited.

What are the limitations of the Thymalin research literature?+

Researchers evaluating Thymalin should be aware that the bulk of the English-indexed primary literature on this complex originates from one research group — the Khavinson group at the Saint-Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology — and its direct collaborators. The most-cited clinical observations (including the 2003 long-term geroprotective study and the 2021 COVID-19 adjunct study) are open-label or non-blinded designs conducted outside the FDA/EMA regulatory framework. There are no controlled human efficacy data on Thymalin in major Western journals from independent groups. Thymalin is not approved by the FDA, EMA, MHRA, or TGA for any indication.

What does NovaWell test Thymalin for, and how is that different from testing a single peptide?+

Because Thymalin is a polypeptide complex rather than a single defined peptide, the analytical panel differs from what we run on synthetic single peptides like Thymosin Alpha-1 or BPC-157. Each batch of Thymalin supplied by NovaWell is tested by an independent third-party laboratory for: total polypeptide content (Lowry or BCA assay); molecular-weight distribution (size-exclusion chromatography) to confirm the low-molecular-weight fraction profile; bacterial endotoxin (USP <85>); heavy metals (USP); and sterility (USP). We do not report a single HPLC "purity" percentage in the way we do for a synthetic single peptide, because a complex does not have a single target species — instead we report distribution and conformance to the polypeptide fraction profile. The Certificate of Analysis for the currently shipping batch is linked from the Certificates tab on this page.

How should Thymalin be stored after reconstitution?+

Once reconstituted in 0.9% sodium chloride or bacteriostatic water, Thymalin should be stored at 2–8°C and used within 21 days. Do not freeze the reconstituted solution. Protect from light. The lyophilized 10 mg vial is stable for 24 months at 2–8°C when kept protected from light and free from repeated temperature cycling; -20°C storage is also acceptable for long-term holding of the lyophilized complex.