Senolytic Pulse (D+Q Protocol)

The Senolytic Pulse (D+Q Protocol) is the actual Mayo Clinic protocol for clearing senescent ("zombie") cells with a short, sharp hit of dasatinib and quercetin — a 2–3 day pulse repeated quarterly. It's for users optimizing healthspan, reducing chronic low-grade inflammation, or seeking evidence-backed longevity interventions. This is not an everyday supplement or anti-aging experiment: it's a cyclic, infrequent, high-impact hit-and-run stack. If you're already stacking rapamycin, metformin, or other legit longevity compounds, D+Q is a mature add-on that actually moves the needle for tissue quality and age-related dysfunction — without daily drug burden.

Dasatinib is the main senolytic hammer, selectively targeting and killing senescent (growth-arrested) cells implicated in tissue aging and chronic inflammation. Quercetin is synergistic with dasatinib in this context, amplifying the kill signal to specific senescent cell populations (notably in adipose and endothelial tissue). The combination is supported by human trials (not just animal data), and works far more effectively together than either does alone. Pulsing avoids the toxicity seen in chronic dasatinib dosing and takes full advantage of the hit-and-run mechanics at the root of senolytics: clear out the zombies, step away for months while tissue recovers and new senescent cells slowly accumulate. There's no benefit — and real risk — to running D+Q chronically. This protocol should be kept tightly to the science: 2–3 consecutive days, full skip until the next quarter, and use with high-bioavailability forms (phytosome quercetin, not generic aglycone).

Done right, D+Q pulses are one of the lowest-effort, highest-impact senolytic protocols available — a couple days of targeted cleanup that can put you ahead of the curve for tissue health and systemic inflammation. If you've run the pulse cleanly and liked the effect, cycle every 3–4 months and focus on your foundation: movement, nutrition, and stacking with rapamycin/metformin only if you're confident in your bloodwork and risk profile.