April 2026 update

In short

More than 250 people with Parkinson's had been dosed. The update described revised dosing protocols and manufacturing changes, and said research interest was widening to other conditions linked to blood vessel health.

April's update said the March issue had drawn a strong response from readers, with many questions about FGF-1. It repeated the team's description of FGF-1 as a protein found in all animals and present in the human body from before birth, which the team believes plays a part in repairing cells.

A new dosing protocol

Parkinson's remained one of Zhittya's two main research efforts. The update said a new protocol, the written plan a study follows, had raised the FGF-1 dose. It also said a new manufacturing facility was producing a more potent form of the protein.

The team said it was very pleased with what it saw in participants after these changes.

First participants in other brain conditions

The update said that in April the team would begin dosing the first participants in five new research areas. Four involve the brain and nervous system: recovery after a stroke that happened years earlier, cerebral palsy, aphasia (a loss of the ability to use or understand language) and multiple sclerosis. The fifth was in another research area.

Several of these were studies of a single person. The update was direct about what that means. If one participant with cerebral palsy improves over the next two years, it said, that will not show that FGF-1 helps in cerebral palsy, because one person is too small a number.

The chief executive wrote that research has to start with a first participant, then a second, before larger studies are possible. He thanked the volunteers who had stepped forward to go first.

For multiple sclerosis, the update said the team and a number of neurologists believe the disease involves the endothelial cells, the cells that line blood vessels. Zhittya also shared a white paper, a background document, on that topic.

Blood vessels and the published research

The update repeated a point from March. According to the team's AI-assisted search, the first paper on FGF-1 and the repair of blood vessel cells appeared in October 1991 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The search counted more than 630 papers on that topic since, and more than 4,000 on FGF-1 and blood vessel repair and growth.

The chief executive wrote that he believes worn-out blood vessel cells are a root cause of many illnesses of aging, including brain disorders. He presented this as his own strong belief.

Four years of Parkinson's research

The update noted that May 2026 would mark four years since the first two participants with Parkinson's received FGF-1. It said the first results were encouraging and that more than 250 people with Parkinson's had been dosed since.

The update shared four messages from participants. Topics included tremor, stiffness, smoother movement, facial expression, the sense of smell, sweating and night vision.

One participant described the new nebulizer routine: about 15 seconds of dosing, then a minute of rest, repeated until the small vial is empty. A nebulizer turns liquid into a fine mist.

The chief executive noted that the nebulizer is the fifth device the team has used in three and a half years, and that the search for a better one continues. The brain imaging study at Washington University in St. Louis was also continuing.

This summary covers the Parkinson's research in the April 2026 update. The complete update, including the other topics it covered, is below.