J147

J147 is a synthetic phenyl hydrazide derived from curcumin, made at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. It came out of a screening strategy that deliberately avoided the amyloid hypothesis: instead of selecting for affinity to one disease-specific target, the group screened compounds against several cell culture models of age-associated pathology. The molecule that emerged was orally active, facilitated memory in normal rodents and prevented the loss of synaptic proteins and cognitive decline in a transgenic Alzheimer disease mouse model (PMID: 22194796). Unlike the racetams on this site, J147 was never a marketed drug anywhere and has always been an investigational compound; consumer-facing material is sold as a research chemical.

The molecular target was identified in 2018 as the mitochondrial alpha-F1-ATP synthase subunit ATP5A. Modest inhibition of ATP synthase raises intracellular calcium, which produces sustained CAMKK2-dependent activation of the AMPK and mTOR pathway, a longevity mechanism conserved across species. In mice, J147 prevented age-associated drift in the hippocampal transcriptome and plasma metabolome, and it extended lifespan in Drosophila (PMID: 29316249). Related work found that J147 and a second Salk compound increased acetyl-CoA levels by inhibiting acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 and reduced cognitive decline and markers of aging in rapidly aging SAMP8 mice (PMID: 31742554).

The strongest preclinical result is the treatment design rather than the prevention design. Twenty-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic mice, at a stage where pathology was already advanced, were fed J147 for three months and showed improved spatial navigational memory in the water maze and rescued contextual fear conditioning, alongside induction of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (PMID: 23673233). Efficacy has also been reported in rat models of ischemic stroke, where J147 reduced infarct volume and reduced tissue plasminogen activator associated brain hemorrhage (PMID: 35309561), in mouse traumatic brain injury (PMID: 39245209) and in mouse diabetic neuropathy (PMID: 29122628).

The animal safety package is unusually detailed for a compound at this stage. Single doses of 2 g/kg in rats and mice produced no acute toxicity, and the Ames test, the hERG assay and CYP3A4 assays were all negative (PMID: 23673233). Because phenyl hydrazides can in principle be metabolized to carcinogenic aromatic amines or hydrazines, the group specifically tested this and found that J147 is not metabolized to those products in human or mouse microsomes or in mouse plasma (PMID: 23582448). A separate panel in a rat hepatoma line put the sustained concentration expected to produce toxicity at about 90 micromolar (PMID: 25364619).

Human data are the gap. A phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single ascending dose study in 64 healthy young and elderly volunteers, sponsored by Abrexa Pharmaceuticals, completed in February 2020 with safety and pharmacokinetics as endpoints, and no results have been posted or published (NCT03838185). A phase 2 study of intravenous J147 combined with endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke began recruiting in July 2026 (NCT07430917). J147 is not approved anywhere and remains a research-use-only compound in the United States market.

J147 is available in capsule form.

Compare prices, payment methods, shipping, and COA scores across 1 vendor.

1 of the vendors BodyHackGuide tracks list J147 (1 listing). The lowest listed price BodyHackGuide has recorded for J147 is $99.99. No J147 listing recorded as in stock carries a milligram count, so BodyHackGuide states no price per milligram for J147.

BodyHackGuide holds 1 third-party certificate record for J147, from Disguised Alpha. No editor has read any of BodyHackGuide's 1 certificate record for J147. The laboratory named on BodyHackGuide's J147 certificate record is Freedom Diagnostics Testing, and the test date on it is 30 July 2026. Each vendor page on BodyHackGuide shows how many certificate records BodyHackGuide holds for that vendor and links to each record that has its own page.