Dihexa mastery course
Unit 3 of 10

The HGF/c-Met hypothesis

Dihexa's headline mechanism is that it potentiates hepatocyte growth factor signaling at the c-Met receptor, driving th…

The proposed mechanism, and why it is a hypothesis

Dihexa's headline mechanism is that it potentiates hepatocyte growth factor signaling at the c-Met receptor, driving the growth of new synapses. It is a genuinely interesting idea, and its defining paper was retracted in 2025.

This unit separates the well-established background biology of HGF and c-Met from the specific, and now shakier, claim that dihexa harnesses it. It also revisits the older AT4/IRAP framework the lab first proposed.

Key terms

The background biology (well established)


The dihexa hypothesis


Where dihexa is proposed to act


The older AT4/IRAP framework


How solid is the mechanism?