SELANK (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) is a synthetic heptapeptide analog of the endogenous tetrapeptide tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), extended with a C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro sequence that stabilizes the compound against rapid proteolytic degradation and sustains CNS availability. It was developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow in the 1980s–1990s by a group led by T.A. Gudasheva and colleagues.

Preclinical research has characterized SELANK primarily as an anxiolytic agent with a mechanism distinct from classical benzodiazepines. Work from Voronina, Semenova, and colleagues at the Institute of Pharmacology (Russian Academy of Medical Sciences) examined its effects on GABA-A receptor modulation, hippocampal serotonin metabolism, and BDNF expression levels in rodent models including elevated plus maze and fear-potentiated startle paradigms. A separate immunological line of research from Uchakina and Bubalo characterized SELANK’s influence on circulating IL-6 and IFN-γ levels in peripheral immune cells. All findings referenced here derive from preclinical models and have not been validated in controlled human clinical trials.

SELANK research appears in Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, European Neuropsychopharmacology, and Peptides. It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any diagnostic, therapeutic, or preventive application. It is classified as a research compound only.