Elamipretide was approved by the US FDA in September 2025 as FORZINITY, for Barth syndrome only; several earlier trials in other conditions missed their endpoints. The research material we supply is not that medicine and is for laboratory use only.

What has SS-31 research looked at?

Phase-2 and phase-3 trials in mitochondrial myopathy, some of which did not meet their endpoints, and foundational animal and mitochondrial studies of how it binds cardiolipin. The cited studies are above.

Elamipretide, a small cardiolipin-binding peptide that concentrates in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

SS-31 research: what the studies have looked at

This page summarises the published research on SS-31, for reference. It sets out what each study tested and in whom, not an outcome for any person, and it is not medical advice. What we supply under this name is a research chemical for laboratory use only.

What SS-31 is

SS-31, also called elamipretide, is a small peptide that binds cardiolipin, a lipid in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Its regulatory position is specific and worth stating plainly: in September 2025 the US FDA approved elamipretide, as FORZINITY, for one rare condition only, Barth syndrome. Several earlier trials in other mitochondrial diseases did not meet their main endpoints. The material we supply is unapproved research material, not the approved medicine, and it is not for human use.

What the studies investigated

Karaa et al. (2023), Neurology 101(3):e238-e252 (MMPOWER-3). Human, phase-3, primary mitochondrial myopathy. Investigated elamipretide and reported that it did not meet its primary endpoints Source.

Karaa et al. (2020), Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle 11(4):909-918 (MMPOWER-2). Human, phase-2, crossover. Investigated elamipretide over a short crossover period in mitochondrial myopathy Source.

Birk et al. (2013), Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 24(8):1250-1261. Rat and isolated mitochondria. Reported that SS-31 binds cardiolipin and affects mitochondrial function, a foundational mechanistic study Source.

Mechanism, as described in the literature

The literature describes SS-31 as concentrating in the inner mitochondrial membrane and binding cardiolipin, which is reported to affect how the membrane holds together and how efficiently the mitochondria make energy. The clinical picture is mixed and honest: the peptide reached the market for one rare disease, while its larger trials in other mitochondrial conditions did not show the benefit they were designed to detect. None of that describes what a research powder does outside a supervised trial.

The material we supply

We supply SS-31 as a research chemical, released against a written specification with a batch certificate of analysis. It is not FORZINITY or any other medicine, and it is not for human or animal use. For the vial sizes, the price per mg and how to order, see the SS-31 compound page; the COA lookup pulls the certificate for any batch. The references above link to each study’s record; this summary is for research and educational reference only.