Overview

PNC-27 is an experimental lab-made peptide that kills cancer cells in lab dishes and in some mouse experiments. It joins a small piece of the p53 tumor-suppressor protein to a 'cell-penetrating' tail. It has never been shown to treat cancer in people: there are no published human trials, and in 2017 the FDA warned cancer patients not to use PNC-27 products after finding bacteria in samples sold online.

How it works

Proposed by the developing research group, based on cell and mouse work. Many cancer cells carry the protein HDM-2 (human MDM2) on their outer membrane, while normal cells carry little. PNC-27 is reported to bind that membrane HDM-2 and assemble into pores that punch holes in the cancer cell, so the cell bursts (necrosis) rather than undergoing ordinary programmed death; the group calls this 'poptosis' ³⁴⁵. This effect appears not to need working p53 inside the cell ⁵. NMR studies show the peptide folds into amphipathic helices that could insert into membranes ². These findings come mostly from one research network and have not been confirmed in human patients.

What research shows

Rosal et al. 2004, Biochemistry (structural study): PNC-27 forms helical, amphipathic shapes in water and membrane-like solvent, consistent with a membrane-disrupting action ².
Davitt et al. 2014, Ann Clin Lab Sci (cell study): PNC-27 killed nearly all K562 leukemia cells, which lack p53 and display membrane HDM-2, while sparing control mouse white blood cells; a control peptide had no effect ⁵.
Sarafraz-Yazdi et al. 2022, Biomedicines (cell and imaging study): electron microscopy showed PNC-27 together with HDM-2 in ring-shaped pores in cancer cell membranes ³.
Pincus et al. 2024 review (Biomedicines, by the developing group): reports that PNC-27 and its shorter analog PNC-28 kill many cancer cell types and were active against pancreatic tumors and leukemia in nude mice without apparent off-target effects ⁴.
No published human clinical trials were found; claims of human cancer cures are unsubstantiated ¹⁶.

Doses studied in people

No published human dosing data exist; any doses circulating online are not supported by clinical research.

Read this first: these are the amounts given to participants in published studies or written on official prescribing labels, reported for reference. They are not recommendations. Trial doses were chosen for specific patients under medical supervision, and a dose that is safe in one person can be harmful in another.

Vial math

Many research vials hold 5 or 10 mg of powder. This table shows how much ends up in each mark on a U-100 insulin syringe for common amounts of added liquid. It is arithmetic only, not a dose.

Vial	Liquid added	Concentration	Per unit (0.01 mL)
5 mg	1 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	2 mL	2.5 mg/mL	25 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	3 mL	1.67 mg/mL	16.7 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	1 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	2 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	3 mL	3.33 mg/mL	33.3 mcg	Open in calculator

More sizes: all vial sizes · How this works: Syringes and units · Reconstitution guide.

Safety

FDA (2017): samples of PNC-27 inhalation solution sold online were contaminated with bacteria (Variovorax paradoxus; later Ralstonia insidiosa); contaminated products can cause serious, possibly life-threatening infections, especially in people with weak immune systems such as cancer patients ¹.
FDA has not evaluated PNC-27 as safe or effective for any disease, including cancer ¹.
No human safety data from controlled studies; short- and long-term risks are unknown.
Using an unproven product instead of established cancer treatment can delay effective care; FDA advised patients to discuss approved options with their doctors ¹.

Report side effects of any drug or product to the FDA through MedWatch. For a possible poisoning in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Legal status

FDA: Not FDA-approved. FDA warned cancer patients not to buy or use PNC-27 products as a cancer treatment or cure (January 10, 2017; updated March 27, 2017) ¹.
Compounding: Not named on FDA's 503A Category 2 page or withdrawn-nominations table (current as of 04/22/2026), and not found on FDA's 503A nominations list as retrieved ⁷⁸.
Sports (WADA): Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List. As a substance with no government approval for human use, it would likely fall under S0 (non-approved substances, prohibited at all times); athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization ⁹.
Other: No FTC action naming PNC-27 specifically was found in this review. New Zealand (Medsafe, June 2025) proposed individual prescription-medicine classification, citing unsubstantiated cancer-cure claims and FDA warnings; the committee deferred a decision in July 2025 and the final outcome was not verified ⁶¹⁰.

Rules change often. See Legal status of peptides for how these categories work.

History

PNC-27 was developed by Matthew Pincus, Josef Michl and colleagues at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York; its NMR structure was published in 2004 ². The group has since published cell studies across leukemia, pancreatic, cervical and other cancer cell lines, and a 2024 review of the pore-forming concept ³⁴⁵. In January 2017 (updated March 2017), FDA warned cancer patients not to use PNC-27 products promoted online after its lab found bacteria (Variovorax paradoxus, later Ralstonia insidiosa) in inhalation samples ¹. In 2025 New Zealand's regulator called online cancer-cure claims for PNC-27 unsubstantiated and proposed making it prescription-only ⁶.

Common questions

Does PNC-27 cure cancer?

There is no evidence that it does in people. It has killed cancer cells in lab and mouse studies, but no human clinical trials have been published, and FDA has not found it safe or effective for any disease ¹⁴.

What did the FDA warn about PNC-27?

In 2017 FDA told cancer patients not to use PNC-27 products sold online after finding bacterial contamination in inhalation samples, which could cause serious infections ¹.

How is PNC-27 supposed to work?

Its developers report that it binds HDM-2 on cancer cell membranes and forms pores that burst the cell, while largely sparing normal cells in lab tests ³⁴.

Is PNC-27 legal?

It is not approved as a drug in the US or elsewhere found, and New Zealand has proposed making it prescription-only ¹⁶.

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