| Dimension | Scoring Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Study Design | Primarily in vitro and animal (mouse, rat) studies. One controversial gene therapy trial (Mendell et al. 2015, Molecular Therapy) used follistatin AAV but this is gene therapy, not peptide supplementation. No oral/injectable peptide human trials identified. |
5 / 25 |
| Sample Size | No human oral/injectable peptide participants. Gene therapy study enrolled 6 subjects — not applicable to peptide form. |
0 / 20 |
| Replication | Animal studies on myostatin inhibition and muscle hypertrophy replicated across multiple labs. In vitro findings consistent. Well-replicated in preclinical context. |
10 / 20 |
| Journal Impact Factor | Lee & McPherron original myostatin/follistatin work published in PNAS (IF ~11). Subsequent studies in Molecular Therapy, PNAS, and Nature journals. |
8 / 15 |
| Funding Independence | NIH and academic funded preclinical work primarily. Gene therapy human study at Nationwide Children's Hospital — academically funded. |
7 / 10 |
| Population Diversity | Animal only for relevant peptide form. Not applicable. |
0 / 5 |
| Researcher h-Index | Se-Jin Lee (Johns Hopkins/JAX) has h-Index 60+ and is the defining researcher in myostatin/follistatin biology. Capped at 5. |
3 / 5 |