A synthetic analog of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) enhanced with Drug Affinity Complex (DAC) technology — studied for its dramatically extended half-life and sustained stimulation of pituitary growth hormone release.
CJC-1295 is a synthetic 30-amino-acid peptide analog of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH), the hypothalamic signal that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. But the really interesting part isn't the GHRH mimicry — it's the "DAC" modification. DAC stands for Drug Affinity Complex, a technology that covalently links the peptide to albumin, the most abundant protein in your blood.
Natural GHRH has a half-life of just a few minutes before enzymes degrade it. With the DAC modification, CJC-1295 binds to circulating albumin and achieves a half-life measured in days rather than minutes. This dramatically changes the pharmacokinetic profile from a short-pulse signal to a sustained, prolonged stimulation of GH release.
Researchers became interested in CJC-1295 as a tool for studying the growth hormone axis — the hypothalamus-pituitary-liver-muscle signaling chain — under conditions of sustained GHRH-like stimulation. Its ability to elevate both GH and IGF-1 levels in animal models over extended periods made it a distinctive tool for body composition, bone density, and muscle mass research.
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CJC-1295 binds to GHRH receptors on somatotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland — the cells responsible for producing and releasing growth hormone. This binding activates a G-protein signaling cascade that increases intracellular cAMP, which triggers the synthesis and release of stored growth hormone into circulation.
Simultaneously, GH travels to the liver and other tissues where it stimulates IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) production. IGF-1 is the primary downstream mediator of most of growth hormone's anabolic and repair effects. The DAC modification simply keeps the peptide circulating and active much longer than unmodified GHRH would allow.
Think of the pituitary gland as a factory with a release valve for growth hormone. Normally, the hypothalamus sends short burst signals (GHRH) that open the valve briefly, release some GH, then the signal degrades in minutes. CJC-1295 with DAC is like replacing that short radio signal with a continuous broadcast — the valve stays partially open for days instead of minutes. The factory keeps producing and releasing GH at a sustained rate, and downstream factories (liver → IGF-1) run at elevated capacity throughout.
Research Disclaimer: The following reflects published clinical and preclinical research and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any health decisions.
CJC-1295 was developed by ConjuChem and has been studied in published human clinical trials, making it one of the better-characterized long-acting GHRH analogs with documented dosing data from human subjects.
CJC-1295 (DAC form) is typically reconstituted from lyophilized powder using bacteriostatic water. Due to the long half-life, reconstituted CJC-1295 DAC has relatively forgiving storage requirements compared to shorter-acting peptides. Standard research protocols specify refrigeration (4°C) for reconstituted solution and −20°C for lyophilized storage. The non-DAC (mod-GRF 1-29) form has similar storage requirements but is administered more frequently due to shorter activity.
The DAC form's ~6–8 day half-life in humans means once-weekly administration is used in many research protocols. The Ionescu et al. phase I study used single injections with 1–4 week intervals to assess duration of effect. Non-DAC (mod-GRF 1-29) protocols, when combined with a GHRP like ipamorelin, typically use 1–3 times daily at the same time as the GHRP for synergistic GH pulse generation.
Key References: Ionescu M & Frohman LA (2006). Pulsatile growth hormone secretion and CJC-1295 in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. · Walker RF et al. (2003). Long-acting GHRH analogue. J Endocrinol. · Alba M et al. (2006). CJC-1295 safety and pharmacokinetics. J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
The albumin-binding strategy (DAC) is a clever piece of chemistry: the modification includes a maleimide group that reacts with a cysteine residue on serum albumin. This means CJC-1295 is essentially inert as a separate molecule until it encounters albumin in the bloodstream, at which point it chemically bonds and becomes a slow-release form.
CJC-1295's documented half-life in animal models is approximately 6–8 days — compared to 7 minutes for natural GHRH. That's roughly 1,500x longer circulating activity from a single modification.
CJC-1295 is often combined with Ipamorelin in research protocols studying the GH axis. These two compounds target different receptors but converge on the same somatotroph cells to produce synergistic GH release.
Every batch of CJC-1295 with full Certificate of Analysis documentation. Third-party HPLC verification, mass spectrometry confirmation, and sterility testing results are included with each batch.