If you uncover a secret after a 25-year relationship, it’s usually not good news. That wasn’t the case, however, for award-winning scientific biologist Dr. Jerry Mizejewski and the protein he had been researching for a quarter century.

Mizejewski discovered that the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) he meticulously studied for decades was hiding a peptide that contained mysterious life-changing properties.

AFP is a protein that a developing fetus makes. Its job is to promote the general welfare of the developing baby. If a fetus produces too much or too little of the protein, it may be a sign of problems with the fetus. AFP decreases substantially in both the mother and newborn after childbirth but disappears from the baby’s and mother’s blood soon after birth.

Mizejewski discovered AFP housed a secret “pop-up” peptide that exposes itself when the fetus is under duress. For example, if an expectant mother with higher-than-normal levels of estrogen is more likely to give birth prematurely or deliver a child with a low birth weight. The pop-up peptide functions as a pause button, putting the fetus’ growth on hold until the mother’s estrogen levels stabilize.

“It remains that way temporarily,” Mizejewski said. “It reveals itself, does its thing and is tucked back into the protein (AFP).”

A recognized AFP expert, Mizejewski said he was amazed that the protein that promotes a fetus growth was hiding a mechanism that stopped that growth when conditions warranted it.

He pondered whether the pop-up peptide’s growth-inhibiting properties could have applications outside the womb. He became obsessed with uncovering the exact makeup of what he dubbed the “Growth Inhibitory Peptide (GIP).” After another five years of research, he identified the amino acids that comprise the peptide and reproduced it chemically in a lab.

He then conducted hundreds of experiments to see if GIP could regulate the growth of both benign and malignant growths. He found it prevented birth defects in fetal mice when they’re in high-estrogen and high-insulin environments. GIP also stopped birth defects from forming in the smaller mice fetuses. It can even affect growth in lower animals – even tadpoles.

“I put the compound in their water, and they weren’t able to get rid of their tales,” Mizejewski said.

After these successes, Mizejewski sent the GIP compound to the National Cancer Institute to tests its ability to stem the growth of human cancer cells. The institute tested GIP against 60 types of cancer cells, including ovary, breast, lung and kidney, and found that it inhibited growth in 38 of the 60 cancer types. Mizejewski also sent the compound to the Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where it was found to suppress 60 percent to 80 percent of the tumors it was tested against.

He’s also seen how GIP performs in the real world, collecting testimonials from those who have been helped by the peptide. A woman from New Orleans, for example, said her ovarian cancer hadn’t progressed since she started taking it. Hitting closer to home, one of his sons has a particularly aggressive kind of brain cancer. He’s been taking the supplement for six months, and his cancer hasn’t spread.

Mizejewski suspects the GIP could help treat other ailments. A man from Florida said the tremors he’d been suffering stopped after he began using GIP.

“His muscles would shake and shake during these episodes,” Mizejewski explained. “He took the supplement and they stopped immediately.”

He suspects that it could help patients suffering from Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is widely believed to be driven by the production of the amyloid beta peptide.

“This peptide causes the plaque that builds up in the brain,” Mizejewski explained. “If GIP could interrupt the growth of the peptide, it might stem the growth of the plaque.”

Mizejewski has bottled the GIP and offers it as a nutritional supplement. “You can take it every day, like some people take Vitamin C to prevent colds,” he said.

Mizejewski hasn’t received any reports of side effects, and, like most other supplements, the peptide flushes out of the body quickly.

At age 84, Mizejewski said getting his product to market is a culmination of his life’s work.
“It’s been an amazing trip for me,” he said. “I feel lucky to have the support that allowed me to study this protein (AFP) for all of those years.” Even if it was hiding a secret for decades.