However, the common denominator in all immune dysfunction appears to be the thymus gland because of its critical role in immune function. We all are subjected to atrophy of the thymus due to aging, disease, radiation, chemicals, and trauma. Thymic extracts generally consist of ground whole thymus, which is then dried or strained into liquid and administered in capsules or sublingual drops. By the very nature of how these extracts are processed, the resulting product is a conglomeration of thymus tissue, cell debris, fragments of thymus proteins and thymus byproducts. Such extracts have been available for years and have shown some degree of effectiveness in treating various immune deficiencies and medical conditions.
Thymic extracts are only slightly effective because they are mere fragments.
To attain full effectiveness, a protein must have a specific shape with precise transmitter and receptor sites. Only a whole biomolecule would be expected to have full biological activity. Beardsley has patented his new technology to grow thymus cells in the laboratory and then purify Thymic Protein A from the product of the cells' metabolism. It also has been demonstrated that this specific protein is conserved among species. This protein has been successfully assayed chemically.