CJC-1295

CJC-1295 with DAC (DAC:GRF); CJC-1295 without DAC = Modified GRF 1-29 = Mod GRF (1-29) = tetrasubstituted GRF 1-29; "CJC-1293" was a shorter-acting precursor

Growth hormone axis

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Summary

Class: Synthetic analogues of the first 29 amino acids of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) with four amino-acid substitutions for stability. "With DAC" adds a Drug Affinity Complex — a reactive linker that bonds the peptide to blood albumin so it lasts for days; "without DAC" (Mod GRF 1-29) is the same peptide without the linker and lasts minutes
Mechanism: Activates the GHRH receptor on the pituitary, stimulating growth hormone synthesis and release; with DAC the stimulus is continuous, without DAC it produces a short pulse
Routes studied: Subcutaneous injection (human trials of CJC-1295 with DAC; community for both forms)
Dose range reported: CJC-1295 with DAC trials: 30–60 µg/kg single or weekly/biweekly doses (roughly 2–4 mg per dose in adults). Community: with DAC 1–2 mg once or twice weekly; without DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) 100 µg 1–3 times daily, usually with a GHRP such as ipamorelin. No approved human dose for either
Half-life: With DAC: ~6–8 days in humans (albumin-bound). Without DAC: estimated ~30 minutes, similar to sermorelin
Storage: Lyophilised: refrigerate. Reconstituted: refrigerate; community practice is use within ~4 weeks. The DAC form's reactive linker is one reason to avoid prolonged storage after reconstitution
Regulatory status: Not approved anywhere. CJC-1295 is on FDA's 2023 Category 2 compounding list

Doses are as reported in studies or by the community — never recommendations.

1What it is

Both molecules descend from GHRH, the hypothalamic hormone that tells the pituitary to make and release growth hormone. Natural GHRH (and its approved fragment sermorelin) is destroyed in the blood within minutes. In the early 2000s the Canadian company ConjuChem took GHRH 1-29, changed four amino acids to resist enzymes, and added a "DAC" — a maleimide-based linker that permanently attaches the peptide to albumin after injection. The result, CJC-1295, kept GH and IGF-1 elevated for over a week after a single dose. ConjuChem ran Phase 1 and 2 trials in healthy adults and in HIV-associated fat accumulation around 2005–2006; the programme stopped after a death in an unrelated ConjuChem trial and company restructuring, and no results beyond the pharmacology papers were published.

"CJC-1295 without DAC" is a marketplace name for the four-substitution peptide alone, more accurately called Modified GRF 1-29. It was never a ConjuChem product and has no human trials under that name; its pharmacology is inferred from the DAC studies and from sermorelin. The naming confusion is constant: a vial labelled "CJC-1295" could be either, and the two behave very differently.

2How it's thought to work

GHRH-receptor stimulation increases GH gene transcription, GH synthesis and GH release from pituitary somatotrophs. GH then drives IGF-1 production in the liver. Two points matter:

Pulse versus plateau. Natural GH secretion is pulsatile, mostly at night. Mod GRF 1-29 amplifies the pulse the pituitary was already going to produce. CJC-1295 with DAC raises GH and IGF-1 continuously for days, flattening the normal rhythm — closer to how injected GH behaves, which has different metabolic consequences.

Synergy with GHRPs. GHRH analogues and ghrelin-receptor (ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6) act on different receptors and release more GH together than either alone (Bowers 1990). This is the rationale for the common Mod GRF 1-29 + ipamorelin pairing.

Acts on the pituitary GHRH receptor. With DAC the peptide binds albumin and gives a continuous stimulus (top); without DAC it gives short pulses (bottom).Schematic — not to scale

Somatostatin tone limits how much GH a GHRH analogue can release at any moment, which is why fasting and timing before sleep feature in community protocols.

3What the research shows

GH and IGF-1 elevation (CJC-1295 with DAC)

In healthy adults, single doses of 30–60 µg/kg increased mean plasma GH 2- to 10-fold for 6 or more days and IGF-1 1.5- to 3-fold for 9–11 days; multiple weekly or biweekly doses held IGF-1 elevated with no loss of effect over 28 days (Teichman 2006, J Clin Endocrinol Metab). GH pulsatility was preserved on top of a raised (Ionescu & Frohman 2006, J Clin Endocrinol Metab). These were pharmacology studies of a few dozen people, not outcome trials. [1][2]

Graded B (unpublished)

HIV-associated lipodystrophy

A Phase 2 trial in HIV-related abdominal fat accumulation was conducted; results were not published in full. (Tesamorelin, a different GHRH analogue, later succeeded in this indication.)

Body composition, muscle, fat loss, sleep, recovery

No published human trials for either form. Community reports of improved sleep, recovery and fat loss are anecdotal. The closest human evidence is the GHRH-analogue literature for sermorelin and tesamorelin, which showed modest body-composition changes in specific populations.

Graded D/—

Mod GRF 1-29 specifically

No human or animal study has tested the four-substitution peptide without DAC under any name. Its expected behaviour comes from structure–activity reasoning and the DAC data.

Graded A (acute studies)

GHRH + GHRP synergy (class evidence)

The acute human studies showing that a GHRH analogue plus a GHRP releases several-fold more GH than either alone used native GHRH or sermorelin, not CJC-1295 (Bowers 1990, J Clin Endocrinol Metab). The community applies this finding to Mod GRF 1-29 by analogy.

Animal pharmacology

The original rat work established that the albumin-bound conjugate retained GHRH-receptor activity and produced prolonged GH release (Jetté 2005, Endocrinology). [3]

4Reported side effects and interactions

Literature-reported

Literature (CJC-1295 with DAC, Phase 1). injection-site reactions (redness, pain, induration), headache, flushing, transient dizziness; some subjects had raised IGF-1 above the normal range. Short-term exposure only, so nothing is known about long-term effects.

Community-reported

water retention and puffiness (more with DAC), tingling or numbness in hands and wrists (a classic GH-excess sign), headache, flushing and a "head rush" after injection (more with the no-DAC form, especially stacked with a GHRP), increased hunger, vivid dreams, tiredness after dosing, injection-site lumps.

Class-level considerations from GH physiology. sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation reduces insulin sensitivity and can raise fasting glucose; carpal tunnel symptoms; joint aches; fluid retention; theoretical acceleration of existing malignancies, where IGF-1 is a growth signal. The continuous elevation produced by the DAC form is the pattern most associated with these effects. Pituitary desensitisation has not been shown for GHRH analogues at the doses studied, but long-term data do not exist.

Interactions. additive GH release with GHRPs (intended); glucose-lowering medicines may need adjusting if GH rises; glucocorticoids and high somatostatin tone (e.g. after eating) blunt the response.

Markers researchers commonly monitor

Marker	Why it's watched
IGF-1	the main downstream marker of GH-axis effect; rises within days and stays elevated for over a week after a DAC dose. Values above the age-adjusted reference range are the usual reason researchers reduce exposure.
Fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c	sustained GH elevation reduces insulin sensitivity.
IGFBP-3	often measured with IGF-1 to interpret the ratio.
Prolactin and cortisol	not expected to rise with GHRH analogues; checking them helps separate GHRH from GHRP effects in a stack.
Lipid panel	GH lowers visceral fat but can alter lipids.
Thyroid function (TSH, free T4)	thyroid status affects GH response and IGF-1 interpretation.
Blood pressure and fluid retention (weight, oedema)	practical signs of GH excess.
General baseline CBC, CMP

Free for everyone. Safety information is never behind a paywall.

5Reconstitution and handling

Both forms are commonly supplied in 2 mg and 5 mg vials. with , swirl gently. Mod GRF 1-29 is frequently reconstituted in the same vial as ipamorelin at a 1:1 microgram ratio; the calculator supports a two-peptide mix. Confirm which form the vial contains before calculating — the DAC form is dosed in milligrams weekly, the no-DAC form in micrograms per injection.

Open in calculator, pre-loaded →

6Commonly studied alongside

Ipamorelin (the most common pairing, with Mod GRF 1-29), GHRP-2, GHRP-6, sermorelin and tesamorelin (as alternatives rather than partners), MK-677 (oral ghrelin mimetic; community).

Informational cross-links. Not stack recommendations.

7Regulatory status by region

Region	Status (checked —)
United States	Not FDA-approved. CJC-1295 is in Category 2 of FDA's bulk drug substances list for compounding (2023), citing safety concerns; this restricts compounding pharmacies from using it. Mod GRF 1-29 is not separately listed †
European Union	Not authorised
United Kingdom	Not licensed
Australia	Prescription-only (Schedule 4) classification for GHRH analogues; not an approved product
South Africa	Not registered
Sport	Prohibited by WADA (S2 — peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics; GHRH analogues including CJC-1295 are named)

8Open questions

Does chronic GHRH-analogue stimulation at community doses change body composition in healthy adults? Untested for CJC-1295 in either form.
Does continuous (DAC) versus pulsatile (no-DAC) GH elevation differ in long-term metabolic safety? Plausible, unstudied.
Is Mod GRF 1-29 actually what is in vials labelled "CJC-1295"? Analytical surveys of grey-market peptides have found frequent mislabelling.
Long-term pituitary and metabolic consequences.

9References

1Teichman SL et al. (2006). Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. PubMed · DOI
2Ionescu M, Frohman LA (2006). Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. PubMed · DOI
3Jetté L et al. (2005). Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. PubMed · DOI
4Sigalos JT, Pastuszak AW (2018). The safety and efficacy of growth hormone secretagogues. Sex Med Rev. PubMed · DOI
5Bowers CY (1998). Growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP). Cell Mol Life Sci. PubMed · DOI
6FDA (2023). Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks — CJC-1295. PubMed

References are being resolved to PubMed/DOI identifiers; links search PubMed for the citation until then.

† Being confirmed by our reviewers against current sources.

10Community

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11Page history

25 Oct 2026Profile published — awaiting medical review

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