Community use
Community- Dose
- No tested dose
- How often
- Not established
- How long
- Not established
No published study has given PNC-27 to a person, so there is nothing to describe: no amount, no schedule and no route.
PreclinicalExperimental anticancer peptide
PNC-27
PNC27, p53-penetratin chimeric peptide
- Common dose
- No tested dose
- Cycle
- No set cycle
- Vial sizes
- Not established
A 32-amino-acid peptide in two parts: a piece of p53, the protein that decides whether a damaged cell dies, joined to a short sequence that carries it into membranes. It sticks to HDM-2, a partner protein of p53 that sits in the outer membrane of many cancer cells but not of normal cells, and the pair builds pores that let the cell’s contents leak out.
Evidence. Cell and animal data only, most of it from the one New York laboratory that designed it and its collaborators. In culture it punches holes in the membranes of many cancer cell lines, and in patient-derived ovarian and cervical cancer cells, while leaving normal cells intact; in mice carrying human pancreatic tumors or leukemia it slowed or killed the cancer, and an independent group at a US cancer center reported the same killing of leukemia cells in mice in 2020. No person has been given it in a published study, and no trial is registered (ClinicalTrials.gov, October 2026).
What it’s used for
None of these uses is approved, and none has been tested in people. Here is what each claim rests on.
- Cancer treatment
- AnimalUnproven in people: it killed many cancer cell lines in culture and slowed human pancreatic tumors and leukemia in mice. No person has been given it in a published study.
- Pancreatic cancer
- AnimalUnproven in people: nude mice carrying a highly metastatic human pancreatic tumor were treated successfully, in reports from the laboratory that designed the peptide.
- Acute myeloid leukemia
- AnimalUnproven in people: an independent cancer center reported in 2020 that it killed leukemia cells, including the stem-like cells that drive relapse, in mice while sparing normal blood stem cells.
- Ovarian cancer
- AnimalUnproven in people: cells taken from women with ovarian cancer were killed when treated outside the body, and the peptide added to paclitaxel in cell studies. No trial followed.
- Cervical cancer
- AnimalUnproven in people: a 2025 cell study reported it killed cervical cancer cells while leaving normal cervical cells intact.
- Sparing normal cells
- AnimalThe central claim, shown only in cells and mice: normal cells carry little HDM-2 in their outer membrane, so the peptide forms no pores in them. Untested in people.
Animal: cell or animal studies only.
Every compound’s uses, by body system: evidence map, and by condition: conditions A to Z.
Status
- Approval
- Not approved as a drug in the US, the EU or anywhere else, and no human trial has been registered. The peptide has been in laboratory development since the 2000s, with a company involved in recent years.
- US compounding
- Never nominated for pharmacy compounding, so it appears on none of FDA’s 503A or 503B bulk substance category lists (503A list updated May 14, 2026).
- European Union
- No marketing authorization; no PNC-27 product is approved anywhere, and it has never been tested in people.
- United Kingdom
- No marketing authorization (MHRA).
- Canada
- No marketing authorization (Health Canada).
- Australia
- No marketing authorization. PNC-27 isn’t named in the Poisons Standard (October 2026).
- Sport (WADA 2026)
- Likely banned in sportNot named in the 2026 List and not covered by a named section. An unapproved compound still in preclinical development falls under S0 non-approved substances, banned at all times.
Category 2 is FDA’s list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding. The 503A bulks list adds substances that pharmacies may compound with. Advisory committee votes are advice; FDA makes the final decision. Sport status follows the WADA Prohibited List in force since January 1, 2026; athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization. Checked October 5, 2026. Status outside the US checked October 7, 2026 against EMA, MHRA, Health Canada and TGA records. By country: EU, UK, Canada, Australia. Status of every compound.
How it works
PNC-27 carries the stretch of p53 that grips HDM-2, the protein that normally escorts p53 to be destroyed, attached to a short sequence that pulls it into membranes. Many cancer cells carry HDM-2 in their outer membrane, which normal cells largely don’t. The peptide docks onto it there, pairs up, and the pairs build pores that let the cell’s contents pour out, so the cell dies by bursting rather than by the orderly self-destruction p53 usually triggers. Neither half of the peptide kills on its own.
AnimalMainly from cell and animal studies; not shown in people.
Not known
Whether the same selectivity holds in a person is untested, and the mechanism is disputed: an independent 2020 study attributed the killing of leukemia cells to breakdown of E-cadherin, a cell-surface protein, rather than to pores.
Protocol
Community
No dose has been tested in any person, and no animal dose can be converted into one. It is sold as a research powder with no established amount, schedule or route.
- Frequency
- Not established
- Route
- Injection in animal studies (into a vein or the abdomen). No human study has given it by any route.
- Cycle
- No established cycle.
No set cycle, shown over 26 weeks
Common protocols
The ways PNC-27 is most often run, each tagged with where it comes from.
Animal studies
Animal- Dose
- Animal doses, which don’t convert to people
- How often
- Repeated injections in mice
- How long
- Weeks, in tumor-bearing mice
Mice carrying human pancreatic tumors or leukemia. Vial Guide doesn’t scale animal doses into human ones.
Taking it
Where it goes
Animal studies injected it into a vein or the abdomen, and cell studies added it directly to the dish. No human route has been established.
If you miss a dose
No published guidance, and no established schedule to miss a dose from.
What to expect
- Within minutes, in cell culture
Pores appear in the membranes of treated cancer cells, which then spill their contents and die; untransformed fibroblasts treated the same way showed no pores.
Animal - In mice with human tumors
Tumor growth was reduced in nude mice carrying human pancreatic cancer and in leukemia models, with the published reports describing no off-target effects.
Animal - In leukemia models, 2020
An independent group reported killing of leukemia cells including the stem-like cells that drive relapse, while normal blood stem cells kept working in transplant experiments.
Animal - In people
Nothing is known. There is no published human study and no registered trial.
Community
Side effects and what to do
Unknown in people
No one has been given PNC-27 in a published study, so its side effects and their rates are unknown.
Damage to normal cells if the selectivity doesn’t hold
Selectivity depends on HDM-2 being in the outer membrane of cancer cells only, shown in cultures and mice. In a person this is untested.
Effects of rapid tumor cell breakdown
In cancer care, fast cell killing can flood the blood with cell contents and strain the kidneys. Never measured for this peptide in a person.
Immune reaction to an injected peptide
A 32-amino-acid peptide with a charged carrier sequence can provoke reactions. Stop at hives, swelling or wheeze and get help.
Injection-site pain, redness or infection (unregulated vials)
Use sterile technique. Spreading redness, heat or pus needs medical care.
Stop and get medical help
Nothing is established for people. Hives with face or throat swelling, trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion or passing much less urine after any injection: stop and get medical help.
Can it cause …?
There are almost no human safety data for PNC-27, so most of these can’t be answered either way.
- Hair loss
- No dataNo human data. It isn’t a conventional chemotherapy drug, but nothing about hair has been studied.
- Acne, rash or skin changes
- No dataNo human data: skin effects have never been studied in any species.
- Low or high blood sugar
- No dataNo human data: blood sugar has never been measured with this peptide.
- Fast heartbeat or blood pressure changes
- No dataNo human data: heart rate and blood pressure have never been measured with this peptide.
- More hunger
- No dataNo human data: appetite has never been measured with this peptide.
- Liver strain
- No dataNo human data: liver tests have never been reported with this peptide.
- Kidney problems
- PrecautionNo data. Killing many cells quickly releases their contents into the blood, which the kidneys have to clear; this has never been measured for PNC-27.
- Cancer risk
- AnimalIt is meant to kill cancer cells, and did so in cultures and mice. Whether it is safe or effective against a cancer in a person is unknown.
- TirednessHeadacheNausea or vomitingDiarrhea or constipationDizzinessTrouble sleepingWater retention or swellingJoint or muscle painAnxiety, low mood or irritability
- No dataNo human data: no one has been given PNC-27 in a published study, so side effects are unknown.
Precaution: a concern that follows from how it works or from a related drug, not measured. Animal: seen only in animal studies. No data: no human safety data. A side effect that hasn’t been reported can still happen, especially with long or high-dose use. Any of these across every compound: the side-effect finder.
Who should avoid it
No product label covers PNC-27, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Most important first.
- Anyone with cancer, outside a trial
- PrecautionIt is an untested cancer treatment. Using it in place of or alongside real treatment risks the cancer progressing while nothing is monitored.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- PrecautionNo human safety data, and a peptide designed to destroy cell membranes has never been studied in pregnancy in any species.
- Anyone with kidney problems
- PrecautionIf it killed cells quickly, the debris released into the blood would have to be cleared by the kidneys. This has never been measured for PNC-27 in any species.
- Anyone relying on product quality
- PrecautionSold as an unregulated research powder, sometimes as an acetate salt. Nothing checks identity, purity, sterility or how much peptide a vial actually holds.
Interactions
No interaction studies have been published, and no product label lists any. Cell studies have combined it with the chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and doxorubicin, which is laboratory work, not a measured interaction in people.
Precaution: follows from how it works or from a related drug, and hasn’t been tested. This isn’t a complete list: a pharmacist or doctor can check a specific medicine or condition. Every documented interaction, by medicine: drug interactions.
Special situations
What’s known about pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney and liver problems, age and surgery. Where nothing has been studied, the row says so.
- Pregnancy
- PrecautionNo human data. A peptide built to destroy cell membranes has not been studied in pregnancy in any species.
- Breastfeeding
- PrecautionNo human data; it isn’t known whether it passes into breast milk.
- Kidney problems
- PrecautionNot studied in kidney disease, and how the body clears the peptide or the debris of killed cells has never been measured.
- Liver problems
- PrecautionNot studied in liver disease, and how the body breaks it down has never been measured.
- Older adults
- PrecautionNot studied in older people, or in any people. All the work is in cells and mice.
- Children and teens
- PrecautionNot studied in anyone under 18, and not approved for any age.
- Surgery and anesthesia
- PrecautionNo data; tell the surgical team about any injected compound.
Precaution: not studied, so the caution follows from how it works or from a related drug. Ages are given as approved or studied; this site never gives doses for children. Across every compound: pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney disease, liver disease, older adults and surgery.
Tracking and pairing
Worth tracking
- No established monitoring: nothing has been studied in people
Often paired with
Usually run on its own.
Human studies
No published human studies of PNC-27 turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.
Trials under way
No ongoing trial of PNC-27 is registered, and none has finished recently without publishing its results. Checked on ClinicalTrials.gov, October 7, 2026. Every compound: trials under way.
Limits of the evidence
No person has received PNC-27 in a published study, and no trial is registered. The evidence is cell cultures, cells taken from patients and treated outside the body, and mice carrying human pancreatic tumors or leukemia. Most of it comes from the laboratory that designed the peptide, with one substantial study from an independent cancer center that proposed a different mechanism. Nothing is known about dose, safety, or whether the selectivity for cancer cells holds in a person.
How it’s supplied
No vial size or dose has been established for PNC-27, so there’s no mixing math to show.
Sold as a lyophilized research powder, sometimes as an acetate salt, with no approved product anywhere. Vial Guide gives no mixing or dose figures: nobody has received PNC-27 in a published study, so there is no amount to work from.
Datasheet
- Half-life
- No reliable value has been published.
- Type
- Peptide, 32 amino acids
- Molecular weight
- 4031.7 g/mol (free peptide; an acetate salt is also sold, which weighs more)
- Formula
- C188H293N53O44S
- Sequence
- PPLSQETFSDLWKLL-KKWKMRRNQFWVKVQRG
- Storage before use
- Freezer (−20 °C) for long-term storage, kept dry and dark.
- After mixing or opening
- Fridge (2–8 °C) once in solution.
- Molecule: Sequence as printed in Sarafraz-Yazdi et al., Biomedicines 2022 (PMID 35625682): p53 residues 12–26 followed by the 17-residue leader the authors call the membrane residency peptide, related to penetratin. CAS 1159861-00-3. The formula and weight agree with my own calculation from that sequence; no UNII is assigned (FDA Global Substance Registration System, searched October 8, 2026)
- Storage: Community Common research-peptide practice; no approved label exists for this peptide
Every compound side by side: the half-life chart and the storage chart.
Identifiers
- CAS number
- 1159861-00-3
- UNII (FDA)
- None assigned
- ATC code
- None assigned
- Development codes
- PNC-27; the related shorter peptide is PNC-28 and the inactive control peptide is PNC-29
- Brand names
- None; no product is approved anywhere
- First described
- Described in the 2000s by Matthew Pincus and Josef Michl’s group at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn.
Every compound’s numbers: the identifiers table.
Product form and quality
A 32-amino-acid peptide sold as a research powder, sometimes as an acetate salt, so the powder weight exceeds the peptide weight. Both halves must be joined to work: neither the p53 piece nor the carrier sequence kills cells alone. Nothing regulates identity or purity.
Cautions
- Never given to a person in a published study, so there is no dose, no schedule and no safety record.
- It works by making cell membranes leak. The selectivity rests on cancer cells carrying HDM-2 in their outer membrane while normal cells do not, which has been shown in cell cultures and mice, not in people.
- Rapidly killing tumor cells releases their contents into the blood. In cancer treatment that can overload the kidneys and disturb body salts, and no one has measured whether PNC-27 does this in a person.
- Nearly all the published work comes from one laboratory and its collaborators, with a company involved in its development.
- Nothing checks what is in a vial sold as PNC-27: this is a 32-amino-acid peptide that is awkward to make and purify.
Questions
What is PNC-27?
A 32-amino-acid peptide in two parts: a piece of p53, the protein that decides whether a damaged cell dies, joined to a short sequence that carries it into membranes. It sticks to HDM-2, a partner protein of p53 that sits in the outer membrane of many cancer cells but not of normal cells, and the pair builds pores that let the cell’s contents leak out.
How does PNC-27 work?
PNC-27 carries the stretch of p53 that grips HDM-2, the protein that normally escorts p53 to be destroyed, attached to a short sequence that pulls it into membranes. Many cancer cells carry HDM-2 in their outer membrane, which normal cells largely don’t. The peptide docks onto it there, pairs up, and the pairs build pores that let the cell’s contents pour out, so the cell dies by bursting rather than by the orderly self-destruction p53 usually triggers. Neither half of the peptide kills on its own. Whether the same selectivity holds in a person is untested, and the mechanism is disputed: an independent 2020 study attributed the killing of leukemia cells to breakdown of E-cadherin, a cell-surface protein, rather than to pores.
Is PNC-27 FDA-approved?
Not approved as a drug in the US, the EU or anywhere else, and no human trial has been registered. The peptide has been in laboratory development since the 2000s, with a company involved in recent years. Never nominated for pharmacy compounding, so it appears on none of FDA’s 503A or 503B bulk substance category lists (503A list updated May 14, 2026).
What is the usual PNC-27 dose?
From community reports, not established: No dose has been tested in any person, and no animal dose can be converted into one. It is sold as a research powder with no established amount, schedule or route. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.
Who should avoid PNC-27?
No product label covers PNC-27, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Anyone with cancer, outside a trial: It is an untested cancer treatment. Using it in place of or alongside real treatment risks the cancer progressing while nothing is monitored. Pregnancy or breastfeeding: No human safety data, and a peptide designed to destroy cell membranes has never been studied in pregnancy in any species. Anyone with kidney problems: If it killed cells quickly, the debris released into the blood would have to be cleared by the kidneys. This has never been measured for PNC-27 in any species. The “Who should avoid it” section lists 1 more group.
How should PNC-27 be stored?
Before mixing: Freezer (−20 °C) for long-term storage, kept dry and dark. After mixing: Fridge (2–8 °C) once in solution. This is common practice; no product label covers it.
Is PNC-27 banned in sport?
Probably. Not named in the 2026 List and not covered by a named section. An unapproved compound still in preclinical development falls under S0 non-approved substances, banned at all times.
Has PNC-27 been studied in people?
No published human studies turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.
How long has PNC-27 been studied in people?
No data No human studies: no one has been given PNC-27 in a published study, and no trial is registered.
Does PNC-27 come in other forms, like a pill or nasal spray?
Animal Never given to people by any route. Mouse studies injected it into a vein or the abdomen; cell studies added it to the dish. No oral, nasal or skin form has been tested.
Can you drink alcohol while taking PNC-27?
No study No data. No study has looked at PNC-27 and alcohol together.
Can PNC-27 be taken with semaglutide or tirzepatide?
No study No study has combined them. No interaction is known, but none has been looked for.
What happens if you take too much PNC-27?
No data There’s no label, no overdose data and no human dosing study. Call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222), or emergency services for severe symptoms.
Sources
- Sarafraz-Yazdi et al., PNC-27 binds HDM-2 in cancer cell membranes and kills those cells (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010) PMID 20080680
- Sarafraz-Yazdi et al., imaging of the pores PNC-27 forms, with the full 32-residue sequence (Biomedicines 2022) PMID 35625682
- Wang et al., membrane HDM2 as a target in acute myeloid leukemia, with PNC-27 killing leukemia cells in mice (Leukemia 2020) PMID 31337857
- Pincus et al., review of peptide-induced pore formation in cancer cells (Biomedicines 2024) PMID 38927351
- Krzesaj et al., PNC-27 kills cervical cancer cells but not normal cervical cells (Ann Clin Lab Sci 2025) PMID 40750238
For the protocol details
- Sarafraz-Yazdi et al., PNC-27 on cells from patients with ovarian cancer, outside the body (Ann Clin Lab Sci 2015) PMID 26663795
- ClinicalTrials.gov search for PNC-27 (October 8, 2026): no registered trial
For how it works, who should avoid it and the limits of the evidence
- Alagkiozidis et al., PNC-27 with paclitaxel in ovarian cancer cells (Ann Clin Lab Sci 2017) PMID 28667027
For uses, the side-effect questions, special situations, trials, identifiers and status outside the US
- ClinicalTrials.gov search for PNC-27 (October 8, 2026): no registered trial; FDA Global Substance Registration System search: no record
- Australian Poisons Standard, October 2026
Doses tagged Community come from public dosing guides and user reports, checked against at least two of them. Those sites aren’t named here because many of them sell peptides or earn commissions on them.