GrowTallest

GDF-5

Inside the plate · In BMP and TGF-β

3D structure of human GDF-5 (PDB 1WAQ)
Structure: human GDF-5. Image from the RCSB PDB (RCSB.org) of PDB ID 1WAQ (Nickel et al., 2005)

Not approved for people anywhereMeasured in people, not heightBy injectionProtein or enzymeAlso CDMP-1

A signalling protein that marks where joints will form. It was tested in spine and dental surgery and never approved.

A BMP-family ligand and the earliest known marker of joint formation, named as a cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein. Not approved anywhere: the recombinant protein reached phase 1 and 2 trials injected into spinal discs and used in dental surgery, and no approval followed.

Risks. Too much of this signal fuses joints and causes deafness.

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What has been measured, in whom, with every source, and what it does to the rest of you. And every article in the library.

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Educational content, not medical advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to take or stop taking anything — talk to a doctor about your own situation.