ACE-083 is a follistatin-based fusion protein used for muscle growth. ACE-083 is an engineered version of follistatin, the natural blocker of myostatin and related growth-limiting signals. In plain terms: it was injected straight into a specific muscle to make that muscle bigger, and the trials showed it did exactly that without making anyone stronger.

How much water do I add to ACE-083?

You can reconstitute ACE-083 with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does ACE-083 cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the ACE-083 calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for ACE-083?

The commonly referenced range is 200 to 240 mg into one named muscle, in the trial, taken every 3 weeks in the trial. This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of ACE-083?

Reported side effects of ACE-083 include: Injection-site reactions were the common complaint in the trials.; One participant in the CMT trial left the study after muscle swelling in the lower leg, and recovered.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take ACE-083?

ACE-083 is generally not appropriate for: No approved use exists; Pregnancy. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

Do you cycle ACE-083?

No established pattern No published human study establishes a schedule.

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Decoding

ACE-083_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as ACE083

By the Peptide Decoding Editorial Team

Published September 24, 2026

A muscle drug injected into one muscle at a time. It grew muscle and changed nothing functional.

Muscle growthFollistatin-based fusion proteinInvestigational

InMuscle building

Dose200 to 240 mg into one named muscle, in the trial

FrequencyEvery 3 weeks in the trial

RouteInto the muscle (intramuscular), in the trials

StatusInvestigational

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledNo established pattern

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

See how this dose compares across the library →

What is ACE-083?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

An injection into one muscle that makes that muscle grow. In two phase 2 trials the muscle got bigger and function did not improve.

The technical version

ACE-083 is a locally acting follistatin-based fusion protein that binds TGF-beta superfamily ligands including myostatin and activins, given by intramuscular injection into a target muscle so the effect stays local.

What it's used for

Sold for muscle growth. Its own trials are the reason to be careful about what muscle volume means.

How does ACE-083 work?

What it does in the body, and where.

ACE-083 was designed to solve a specific problem with myostatin blockers: they work everywhere, and you may only want one muscle to grow.

01
It soaks up growth-limiting signals
Follistatin naturally binds myostatin and activins, which hold muscle growth back.
02
It stays where it is injected
The molecule was engineered to remain in the muscle it is put into, which is why trials targeted the tibialis anterior and biceps.
03
The muscle grew and nothing else changed
Volume rose by more than 12 to 15% in treated muscles. Strength, function and patient-reported scores did not improve, and the programme was stopped in 2019 for FSHD and March 2020 for CMT.

Where it acts

What else is it used for?

Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

Local muscle growth in a targeted muscleInvestigational
Strength or functionInvestigational

Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about ACE-083

Evidence

Investigational

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

200 to 240 mg into one named muscle, in the trial, every 3 weeks in the trial. No established patternNo range

No published human study establishes a schedule.

Compare this against the whole library →

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

Nothing published in humansNo figure

You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.

How do I dose and price it?

Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.

The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.

Your vial size (mg)

Printed on the vial.

What you paid per vial

Used for cost per dose only.

Your dose (mg)

Commonly referenced range: 200 to 240 mg into one named muscle, in the trialTrial dose

Choose your mix

0.5 mL water10000units · 2 mg/mL

Half a 100-unit syringe

1 mL water20000units · 1 mg/mL

One full 100-unit syringe

2 mL water40000units · 0.5 mg/mL

Two full 100-unit syringes

your own mL

units · —

Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

Your draw

10000 / 100 units

10000 units will not fit in a 100-unit syringe. It would take 100 separate draws, or you can mix with less water so it fits in one.

Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →

What it costs

ACE-083 starts at $55.99 across 1 vendor.

1 listing, last read Sep 12, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.

See all 1 listings →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.

Unmixed lyophilized ACE-083 keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

No approved use exists
Pregnancy

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Spreading swelling, redness or heat at an injection site
Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Injection-site pain and swelling

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is ACE-083 approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

No. ACE-083 is not approved anywhere and is currently in company-run clinical trials. There is no legal route to obtain it outside a trial.

Approval status
Investigational
Route
Into the muscle (intramuscular), in the trials
Checked
24 September 2026
Dose
From published clinical trials. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
Vial size
From what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
Statland JM, et al. Randomized phase 2 study of ACE-083 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Muscle Nerve Acceleron discontinues ACE-083 for Charcot-Marie-Tooth after phase 2

What has happened recently

Never approved. Held FDA fast track and orphan drug designations for FSHD and CMT before development stopped.

You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.

What else is like ACE-083?

Others in Muscle building, side by side.

If you're weighing ACE-083, it's worth reading Bimagrumab, Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 (no DAC) blend, and IGF-1 LR3 in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

ACE083

ACE-083

A muscle drug injected into one muscle at a time. It grew muscle and changed nothing functional.

Investigational

Dose: 200 to 240 mg into one named muscle, in the trial
How often: Every 3 weeks in the trial

BIMAAntibody

Bimagrumab

An experimental shot that strips fat while adding muscle.

Investigational

Dose: 10 up to 30 mg/kg per month (trial doses)
How often: Monthly

IPA+CJC

Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 (no DAC) blend

The popular growth-hormone combo in one shot, for muscle, recovery, and sleep.

Research only

Dose: ~0.1 mg CJC-1295 per dose (the ipamorelin follows your ratio)
How often: Daily, often at night

LR3

IGF-1 LR3

A powerful muscle-builder that also drops blood sugar hard.

Research only

Dose: 0.02 up to 0.05 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Daily, cycled

See other muscle-building peptides

Guides for this compound

How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.

Sources

Statland JM, et al. Randomized phase 2 study of ACE-083 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Muscle Nerve(2022)
Treated muscle volume rose, and no functional or patient-reported measure improved.
Acceleron discontinues ACE-083 for Charcot-Marie-Tooth after phase 2(2020)
Muscle volume met the primary endpoint; every functional and quality-of-life secondary endpoint missed, ending the programme.

Last reviewed 24 September 2026