| Dimension | Scoring Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Study Design | Primarily in vitro (cell culture) and mouse/rat models for gut inflammation, wound healing, and antimicrobial activity. Some alpha-MSH parent molecule human data exists but KPV tripeptide specifically has no human RCTs. |
2 / 25 |
| Sample Size | No human efficacy trials. In vitro and animal only. |
4 / 20 |
| Replication | In vitro anti-inflammatory findings replicated by multiple independent labs. Gut inflammation mouse model replicated. Mechanistic consistency is reasonable. |
10 / 20 |
| Journal Impact Factor | Key KPV publications in Journal of Experimental Medicine (IF ~13), Mucosal Immunology (IF ~7), and Gut (IF ~19). Parent alpha-MSH in PNAS. Strong journals for preclinical work. |
12 / 15 |
| Funding Independence | Primarily NIH and academic funded. No significant commercial interest distorting early research. Independent academic. |
7 / 10 |
| Population Diversity | In vitro/animal. Not applicable. |
5 / 5 |
| Researcher h-Index | Anna Catania (Milan) and other alpha-MSH/melanocortin researchers have h-Indexes 30+. Strong academic pedigree. Capped at 5. |
2 / 5 |