What does the 2026 MOTS-MET entry add?
The plan covers adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity. MOTS-c is to be compared with placebo. The main question is whether it improves the response to insulin; safety is also to be assessed. The public registry had no results on 2 November 2026. [37]
The distinction matters: a registry describes the intention and design of a study. Only results will show how many participants completed it, whether an advantage was found and which side effects occurred. Recruiting status alone does not establish the project's success.
Why was the earlier study not a test of injections in humans?
In the 2021 paper, men exercised while scientists collected samples, measuring the body's response to activity. MOTS-c administration took place in separate mouse experiments. These are not two descriptions of the same intervention. [36]
If a substance increases after exercise, it does not automatically follow that administering it will replace all the benefits of movement. Exercise changes many processes at once. Such a comparison would require an appropriately designed human study.
Why check the substance's name?
CB4211 is a modified MOTS-c analogue. Its phase 1a/1b study ended in 2021; the registry lists 88 participants and contains no results. Reports about this project must therefore be distinguished from assessment of MOTS-c itself. [38] [39]
A similar structure can justify new research questions. It does not justify assuming identical effectiveness, safety or quality in products with different names.
What would count as real progress?
Full results, a clear account of the comparison group, fair handling of treatment discontinuation and continued risk monitoring. Even improved insulin response would not yet prove longer life. Findings in people with prediabetes should not be generalized to healthy athletes.
Registry information is supplied by trial sponsors or investigators; we have not independently confirmed how the trials were conducted. Back to the MOTS-c profile, to check the basics, unanswered questions and anti-doping status.
Where does this information come from?
Show sources and how they were checked
- ClinicalTrials.gov: MOTS-MET, NCT07505745
Registry description of a planned trial · record dated 1 April 2026 · protocol and results status accessed through the API on 2 November 2026; no results. Accessed: 2 November 2026.
- Reynolds et al.: MOTS-c, exercise and physical performance
Human measurements and separate mouse experiments · 20.01.2021 · results, figure 4 and methods for the human part · DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20790-0. Accessed: 02.11.2026.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: CB4211, NCT03998514
Analogue trial registry · updated 11 May 2021 · protocol and results status checked via API on 2 November 2026; no registry results. Accessed: 2 November 2026.
- CohBar: start of a trial of the CB4211 analogue
Company announcement in SEC filings · 12 July 2018 · passage identifying CB4211 as an analogue. Accessed: 2 November 2026.